ASEAN Ministers Seek US Tariff Exemptions at Agriculture Summit

AGRI-NEWS | NATIONAL Posted on 2025-10-03 01:02:25

MANILA – Negotiating possible exemptions from United States-imposed tariffs is among the key issues being discussed at the 47th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Pasay City, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Wednesday.

“We’re here to hopefully find ways to negotiate with America. The US delegation has mentioned that there might be certain exemptions in the imposed tariffs, and that is part of what we will identify during this meeting,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters on the sidelines.

In April, ASEAN voiced “deep concern” over Washington’s unilateral tariffs, warning they could disrupt global trade and investment flows, hinder economic progress, and strain the ASEAN-US trade relationship. The measures, it added, pose significant challenges to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and less developed economies in the region.

The US is ASEAN’s largest source of foreign direct investment and its second biggest trading partner.

The Philippines is hosting the two-day high-level meeting from Oct. 1 to 2, with Tiu Laurel serving as chair. He will also lead the ASEAN-Plus Three (APT) meeting with counterparts from China, Japan, and South Korea.

As host, Laurel said the Philippines is pushing ASEAN’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top food producers by 2045, emphasizing “climate-smart, innovation-driven agriculture, stronger collaboration with development partners, and inclusive value chains that empower farmers and fisherfolk.”

— NPO News Team | PNA-PR

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