SEIZURES of smuggled food since April last year have been valued at P650 million, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The seizures cover shipments seized up this month by the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Trade and Industry as well as the DA, due to underdeclaration, overvaluation, or unsafe products, among others.
In 2021, confiscated goods included P121.3 million worth of undervalued imported rice shipped to Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Iloilo; P101.5 million worth of red onions in Subic, P100 million worth of African Swine Fever (ASF)-infected meat and assorted agri-fishery products in Navotas; P72 million worth of assorted vegetables in Cagayan de Oro; P85 million worth of assorted vegetables in Subic; P50 million worth of red onions in Cagayan de Oro; P10 million worth of agri-fishery products in Bulacan, P4.7 million worth of assorted vegetables in Malabon; and over 1,800 sacks of sugar in Navotas.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said in a statement that the seizures “protect the agri-fishery sector from transboundary diseases and… unsafe and unhygienic food items.”
In the 2022 year to date, confiscated shipments included P46 million worth of smuggled agri-fishery, frozen meat, and products from China; P42 million worth of wrongly-declared fishery products from Vietnam; P11 million worth of wrongly-declared frozen meat in Antipolo and Quezon City; and P10 million worth of fresh vegetables at the Manila International Container Terminal.
Separately, the DA said the onion industry is suffering from competition from smuggled goods, and needs to be made more competitive while also protecting farmers by clamping down on smuggling initiatives. The industry could also use a boost from investing in cold storage facilities to preserve the harvest.
“We want the onion industry to be competitive enough to export. The increase in onion production is an indication that the sector can be self-sufficient when properly supported,” Mr. Dar said in a separate statement.
The DA is working with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on anti-smuggling efforts. The BPI will exercise its police powers, in coordination with the DA’s economic intelligence team, and monitor inventories at accredited cold storage warehouses. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
