The government of Japan is interested in importing Cavendish bananas from the Philippines, provided that it comes from the acknowledged areas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

This was revealed by Agriculture Secretary, Emmanuel Piñol, who visited the camp late Wednesday. Piñol revealed the interest of Japan to import 20 million boxes of Cavendish bananas yearly, resulting from President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to the country in October last year. “I was part of the President’s delegation during the Japan visit,” he said.

This announcement follows Piñols previous announcement that South Korea was also interested in importing some 35 million boxes more of Cavendish bananas valued at $280 million. The 35 million boxes of bananas—with an average weight of 13 kilograms—would be equivalent to 455,000 metric tons (MT).