By Gabriela Baron
The Philippines will once again export dried pili nuts to 27 member states of the European Union (EU).
This after the country was granted the issuance of the European Commission Implementing Regulation 2023/267.
Signed on Feb. 8, the issuance authorized the inclusion of dried pili nuts in the EU’s list of novel foods that may be placed on the EU market after passing the Union’s safety and labeling requirements.
The Philippines temporarily halted the export of pili nuts in 2015 following new EU rules for novel foods.
Among the major export markets for Philippine pili include the United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirate, and Canada.
The Department of Agriculture welcomed on Monday, March 6, the EU issuance, noting it will benefit local farmers, pili processors, and exporters.
The Bicol Region is the country’s top pili producer with about 90% or 1,796 hectares of pili production area and 84% or 4,932 metric tons of the total volume of production based on the Philippine Statistics Authority data in 2021. -ag