EU Finalizes Deal With PNG On Special Duty Status

By Atuna.com

The European Parliament has signed off on a deal allowing Papua New Guinea to export its tuna products duty-free into Europe, regardless the origin of the fish.

It’s the only country in the world to be granted special treatment in the European Union’s fishery sector that allows the country to export processed tuna products, of which the fish originates from tuna vessels carrying any national flag. Normally the duty free rule for tuna imports within the EU is only available to selected developing countries that have vessels which match the so-called Rules of Origin, by which these vessels must carry the same flag as the country the fish is processed in, or exported from to the EU.

This special duty status will represent an important boost to the PNG tuna industry – which will give it excellent access to large volume of tuna raw material. The deal excludes tuna delivered by IUU vessels.

The Spanish organization ANFACO has long disputed this deal, and has heavily lobbied to stop it. Fears of ANFACO are that the deal will negatively affect the EU-based tuna processing industry.

In return for this special duty status, PNG has agreed to gradually open its markets to EU products.

Ten percent of the world’s tuna is caught in PNG waters, but most of the catch is exported overseas to be processed, the EU being the main destination

EU gives PNG tuna "special treatment"

Source: The National - Friday, 21 January 2011
By: Patrick Talu

PAPUA New Guinea has become the only country in the world to be granted a “special treatment” by the European Union (EU) for its tuna export products .
This means that fishery products from whatever origin but processed in PNG have been allowed to enter the EU markets duty-free and quota-free.

At present, PNG-processed tuna products enter the EU markets in the form of canned fish produced by pioneering cannery RD Tuna Corp.
The EU parliament in Brussels endorsed the special treatment under the EU-Pacific interim economic partnership agreement granted “consent” to the deal.

A statement yesterday by the delegation of the EU to PNG in Port Moresby quoted EU charge d’affaires Roberto Cecutti as saying: “With this agreement in force, PNG will be the only country in the world being granted a special treatment in the fishery sector by the EU.

“Fishery products from whatever origin and processed in PNG can now be exported duty-free and quota-free to the EU market.

“Although the interim economic partnership agreement was already provisionally in force since the end of 2009, the completion of the EU internal procedures gives now legal certainty and predictability to economic operators,” Cecutti said.

This is the first trade and development agreement to be approved by the European parliament since the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, which gives legal personality in international law to the EU and replaces the European Community in all its rights and obligations.

The agreement was initialled in 2007, and then signed in 2009 by PNG and Fiji.

It was already provisionally in force since the end of 2009.

It grants unconditional duty-free/quota-free access to EU markets, while committing Papua New Guinea and Fiji to an asymmetric opening of their markets.

On top of this, the interim EPA ensures particularly favourable conditions to Pacific countries in terms of rules of origin for fisheries (“global sourcing”).

The EU keeps negotiating a regional comprehensive EPA with all the 14 Pacific ACP countries.

RD FISHING (PNG) LTD. Spearheads Coastal Clean-up Activity

VIDAR, MADANG. A Coastal Clean-up activity was spearheaded by the RD Fishing (PNG) Ltd. on May 30, 2009 in celebration of May as the International Month of the Ocean. The theme for this activity was "Protect Our Sea, Our Future is Now".

Mr.Gregorio A. Authentico, RD Fishing (PNG) Ltd. Managing Director, in his opening speech said that "We need to make every single day as a day of the ocean" stressing that our uncompromising responsibility in taking care of the ocean will bring us not only a sound and clean environment but in return will continue to reward our generation and the future generations with an abundant source of living.

RD Fishing (PNG) Ltd. is a member of the RD Group of Companies operating in Papua New Guinea since 1997. It is one of the biggest players in the country's fishing industry and provides local employment. It supplies its sister Company, the RD Tuna Canners (RDTC), with fresh tuna which the latter processes both for local and international markets. RD Tuna Canners as the biggest and pioneering company in tuna processing industry helps in boosting local employment by employing around 3,000 PNG nationals.

Village leaders and local villagers were also present during the coastal clean-up activity. Mr. Patrick Manat, a village leader from the Kananam Island, expressed his appreciation to the initiative which the company is doing. Mr. John Wasau, Chairman of the Madang Lagoon Association was also present. He, likewise, expressed his appreciation of the company's commendable initiative in taking care of the ocean. Both leaders are taking part in the actual collection of garbage and pledged for continued partnership with RD in regular coastal cleaning activity. Other stakeholders will be invited to be partners in future activities.

Mr. Pedro Celso, the Managing Director of RD Tuna Canners, expressed support of the initiative of RD Fishing (PNG) together with RDTC employees. He encouraged the organizers to initiate the activity on a regular basis and hopes that such will spark interest not only in Madang but througout the country as well.

The activity's 300 participants were able to collect tremendous amount of garbage consisting of bottles, plastics, steel sheets, empty tin cans, and cellophanes.

RD Fishing (PNG) Ltd. is very thankful of the full participation of its employees, especially the expatriates who shouldered most of the task in the preparations of the activity and the vessel crews in leading the actual cleaning activity. It also acknowledges the support of RDTC, RD Construction, RD Foundation, and of the local communities for actively taking part in the cleaning. Keeping the environment clean and protecting it is a global challenge and as such RD is committed to take on the challenge with the support from its employees and the community at large to do everything possible to manage and keep it clean.

The activity closed with everyone reaffirming their commitment to care for the ocean and of the environment as a whole.

RD Group of Companies was awarded the Guinogulan Awards by BOI

18 December 2009. Celebrating its 42nd Anniversary, the Philippine Board of Investments, the lead agency of the government in promoting investments in the country, bestowed unto selected BOI-registered companies its inaugural GUINOGULAN BOI Recognition Awards.

Guinogulan is an old Filipino word that literally means “the lord of golds.” It is considered the best grade of native gold in the pre-Hispanic era. Thus, the Guinogulan Awards, in essence, becomes apt in honoring corporations that had immensely contributed by way of investments and operations to the growth, stability and development of trade and commerce in the Philippines.

The awardees were standouts in terms of capital growth, revenue and employment, and their individual corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda – which made the difference in the selection criteria.

RD Group of Companies, a global conglomerate based in General Santos City, South Cotabato, was among the three (3) companies awarded the Guinogulan Awards. From being a pawnshop in 1976 in General Santos City, the RD Group evolved into a multifaceted company that steadily grown into 44 subsidiaries and major divisions engaged in Fishing, Agri-business, Manufacturing, Processing, Banking, Pawning, Insurance, Real Estate Development, Hotels, and, Retailing of Hardware and Fishing Supplies. From operating mainly in the Philippines, it has made its mark in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Recognizing that success rests on its employees, RD Group instituted its Corporate Employee Reward and Recognition System along with its responsible Corporate Governance that promotes transparency and coherence to business standards; executes control, compliance, and risk management; and utilizes appropriate technology as a catalyst of improving business operations.

The RD Group, likewise, pursued advocacy programs through its “HELP-ECO” activities focusing on Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace & Development, Environmental Advocacies, Cultural Development, and Outreach Programs focusing on areas where its companies operate and in some conflict areas around the Sarangani province. It also undertook ocean cleanup projects in Papua New Guinea.