Seized smuggled agri goods reach P2 billion

MANILA, Philippines — Agricultural smuggling continued to proliferate with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) seizing close to P2 billion worth of contraband farm goods, with illegal shipments of sky high-priced onions accounting for more than a quarter of that amount.

During the Laging Handa briefing yesterday, BOC operations chief and spokesman Arnaldo dela Torre said seizures conducted by the agency resulted in about P1.9 billion worth of agricultural products last year.

About 30 percent of smuggled farm goods were onions, whose prices have now reached more than P600 per kilogram.

“For onions alone, about P500 to P600 million (smuggled goods) were confiscated,” Dela Torre said. “The BOC will continue to strengthen our inspections.”

A majority of the shipment seized last year came from China, especially smuggled onions, according to the BOC.

Just recently, the agency seized smuggled onions placed in a shipment declared as clothing and home products.

Some P2 million worth of onions were found inside a much bigger shipment of about P17 million worth of home products.

Dela Torre earlier said the BOC is ramping up its customs control which involves information gathering even before the arrival of imports to ensure that goods coming into the country have necessary permits.

The agency is also in continuous dialogue with China and other countries that are the origins of smuggled goods to address such proliferation.

Agricultural smuggling remains rampant in the country, which affects locally produced farm products since these cannot compete with illegally imported ones due to pricing.

The BOC said addressing agricultural smuggling would not only protect local farmers, but also ensure food safety for all Filipinos.

With farmers’ onion due for harvest next week, Sen. Risa Hontiveros is voicing concerns about the impending importation of almost 22,000 metric tons of onions, saying it may be best for authorities to observe before making any drastic moves.

Hontiveros encouraged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to be cautious about the amount of onions the country will import.

She recommended a two-step process: import some, then “wait and see.”

“It’s best to wait and see. Our farmers’ harvest is almost here, and it will continue until April. If the harvest is good like last year, maybe there is no need for 22,000 metric tons of onions to be imported,” the opposition senator said.

“Perhaps, only half of the President’s authorized amount should be imported, especially if we get plenty from Nueva Ecija and Mindoro. Perhaps, there is no need to import all,” she added.

Aside from the issue of supply, Hontiveros expressed belief that the administration also needs to help Filipino farmers recover from bad weather that repeatedly decimated their crops last year.

“There needs to be a supply of onions and the price needs to come down. But the farm gate price must also be fair so that farmers can recover. Those who grow onions do not have crop insurance from DA-PCIC,” she said, referring to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

For the senator, the authorization to import came too late, more than two months after most families’ Noche Buena.

“The importation is obviously being done belatedly. The imports should have been authorized two months ago in time for the holidays. This error is unforgivable. The BPI and the DA wrongly predicted that the December domestic supplies would be enough to cover the demand,” she said.

She then encouraged the BPI and DA to improve their data collection on onions so that officials do not make rash decisions based on feelings alone.

“DA data on the extent and size of the harvest from onion plantations is limited, so the 22,000 metric tons ordered by the President is not far off. Let’s not give in to ‘ramdam sampling’,” Hontiveros said.

Meanwhile, the go-signal given by Marcos to import onions will only further hurt local onion farmers and stunt local production, according to a lawmaker at the House of Representatives. In a statement, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said that if the country would push through with the importation of onions, local farmers would be forced to compete with cheaper imports despite soaring production costs. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo, Elizabeth Marcelo, Bebot Sison Jr.