Government urged to probe vegetable smuggling

ROSALES, Pangasinan, Philippines – A leader of an agricultural organization is urging the government to investigate the alleged smuggling of vegetables from China, which reportedly poses risks to human health.

Rosendo So of the Samahan ng Industriyang Agrikultura (SINAG) said these vegetables were soaked in formalin to make them appear fresh for a longer period.

So said carrots, which are bigger, cleaner and without stalks, are currently flooding the local market. He urged the government to create a task force that would look into the matter.

The group wants the Senate committee on food safety, which is investigating the entry of expired meat into the country, to also focus on other food items like vegetables.

So said a staff of Sen. Cynthia Villar, who chairs the committee on food safety, told him the other day that the concern on carrots and other vegetables falls under the health committee of Sen. Teofisto Guingona III. 

The issue stemmed from a complaint of Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan citing the decrease of the carrot’s farmgate prices due to smuggling.

So cited a report of the United Nations committee on trade showing 350,775 kilos of carrots exported to the country last year, but only 12,133 kilos appeared in the records of the Bureau of Customs.