(Photo grabbed from Department of Agriculture Facebook page)
MANILA – A total of PHP202.5 million worth of smuggled agri-fishery products were seized by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in separate operations at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) in January alone.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, DA said the seized products were contained in 24 container vans consigned to Asterzenmed Inc. and Seaster Consumer Goods Trading Inc.
It said the confiscated goods were either misdeclared or misclassified.
The multi-million worth of smuggled agricultural products by consignee Asterzenmed Inc. were discovered in several operations while nine of the 24 container vans containing fresh red and white onions with a total estimated market value of PHP77.8 million belonged to Seaster Consumer Goods.
On Jan. 23, three containers found to be carrying fresh yellow onions, red onions, potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes with an estimated market value of PHP24.4 million were seized by authorities.
This was followed by the confiscation of three more containers loaded with red onions, imitation crab stick, and frozen boneless beef, with a total estimated market value of PHP31 million.
Meanwhile, another inspection of three Asterzenmed Inc. containers resulted in the confiscation of PHP24 million worth of red onions and assorted meat products, while PHP21.5 million worth of smuggled assorted meat products were also confiscated after an inspection of three other container vans.
The latest operation reported on Jan. 27 led to the discovery of two container vans loaded with potatoes and fresh yellow onions with an estimated value of PHP23.6 million.
The DA said the confiscated agricultural products originated from Hong Kong, China and have no Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance.
The operations that lead to the confiscation of multi-million smuggled agri-fishery products were done through the combined efforts of the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement, together with partner agencies including the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The DA said the campaign against agricultural smuggling is consistent with the directive given by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to “safeguard the welfare of Filipino farmers and fishers and make locally grown agricultural produce more competitive.”
Anti-smuggling law
In an earlier interview, DA Assistant Secretary James Layug said the anti-agricultural smuggling law should be revisited to protect farmers, fishers, and consumers.
“Akin pong sinusuportahan ang amyenda sa anti-agricultural smuggling law upang ma-include ang price manipulation, which ang composition po niyan ay hoarding, profiteering, and cartel (I support the amendment of the anti-agricultural smuggling so we could include price manipulation, which covers hoarding, profiteering, and cartel),” he said.
Layug said this form of economic sabotage should be addressed by fortifying regulations, digitization in the DA, pushing for the establishment of cold examination facilities for agriculture, as well as continuous collaboration with the local authorities.
“Mapapadali ang commodity monitoring at document tracking para maging mas mapabilis ang pagtawid ng produkto at maprotektahan natin ang borders laban sa smuggling (Commodity monitoring and document tracking could be made easier so we could deliver the products faster and protect our borders against smuggling),” he said.
Meanwhile, the DA said it has confiscated about PHP1.5 billion worth of smuggled agricultural products since October last year.
The amount includes more than 8 million kg. of smuggled agricultural products.
To date, the DA has filed 25 cases for violation of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016. (with reports from Stephanie Sevillano, PNA)
