|
Japan to Eliminate Some Agricultural Tariffs Sooner Than Originally Agreed under JTEPA
Japan to Eliminate Some Agricultural Tariffs Sooner Than Originally Agreed under JTEPA
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) decided, on July 27, to offer voluntary proposals to eliminate some agricultural tariffs sooner than a schedule under Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA) agreed in March this year.
Agriculture minister Shimamura talked with Thai deputy prime minister Jatusripitak Somkid over the telephone to once again confirm that a deal in agriculture under JTEPA negotiation had been done already. Based on that confirmation, Minister Shimamura went on to offer that Japan will relax tariff measures including the shortening of period to deadline and make it sooner to eliminate tariffs on some products as a way of assisting farmers of Thailand afflicted with natural disaster.
Items under the new offer include Okras, frozen tropical fruits (sweetened), preparations of shrimps and some meat preparations. Tariff for them will be
eliminated sooner - for some immediately - than original timeframe of between 3 to 10 years.
For several other items such as banana, tariff rate quotas will be expanded so that imports by low in-quota tariff could increase in volume.
For Japan-Thailand Free Trade Agreement, negotiations have reached a broad agreement overall when a deal was struck on August 1 in industrial product sector.
[Top of Page]
|
