DA tightens rules on importation of vegetables

Reacting to complaints from local farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is tightening the rules on the entry of imported vegetables.

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor said the DA will be rigidly enforcing Republic Act 8800 or the Safeguard Measures Act that seeks to protect local agriculture products from the entry of competing imported commodites.

As part of the effort to control the inflow of imported vegatables, the Vegetable Industry Stakeholders in Benguet which accounts for the majority of vegetables being sold in Metro Manila, will work closely with the DA Central and DA-Cordillera Autonomous Region field unit to undertake market intelligence and monitoring activities to make sure trading malpractices are reported to proper authorities.

Despite the influx of imported vegetables, Montemayor estimated that the volume that was brought in so far, is only 0.17 percent of total vegetable demand of the country.

"A review of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Plant Industry quarantine records on quarantine import permit issuance indicate that a small volume of vegetables for the month of July and August were sourced from Australia, the Netherlands and China," Montemayor said.

For the first nine months of the year, the country imported about 267 metric tons of semi-temperature vegetables from Australia and the US.

The biggest importers were Rustan Supermarket, Leysam Commercial, Santag Commodities, Australasia Food and Beverage Corporation, Wendenberg International, the Asian Development Bank Commissary, Philippine Airlines Tuckerbag Inc., Australia Prime, Macro Asia Eurest, Pacific Alliance, Blue Dairy Corporation, AFPC Property Ltd. And Mount Zion Express.

Montemayor said the importers brought in at least 37 kinds of semi-temperate vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, potato and mushroom, directly competing with local produce.

Rustan’s brought in about five tons of carrots during the period or 82 percent of total registered carrot imports, 74 percent of total potato imports; 42 percent of leeks, 45 percent of cabbage, 52 percent of mushrooms and 22 percent of total cauliflower imports.

The ADB commissary was also a regular importer as it had to meet the food requirements of the bank’s multiracial staff and their dependents.