THE Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Bureau of Customs recently intercepted 25 metric tons of illegally imported red onions from China at an unspecified port in Mindanao, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
The shipment consigned to Manila-based Lantix Consumer Goods Trading arrived on May 26 and was misdeclared as containing frozen egg noodles, croissant dough, pizza dough, buns, and spring rolls.
The value of the red onions was estimated at around P2 million.
The DA said it had not issued any sanitary and phytosanitary import permits for red onion shipments from China.
The DA said it will pursue legal action under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which toughened penalties on agricultural smuggling, including substantial fines and extended prison terms.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., said during a recent visit to a Manila public market, where suspected illegally imported red onions were found, that the DA will partner with the Philippine National Police to expand enforcement against agricultural smuggling.
The DA, through the BPI, first determines the supply-demand balance before issuing an import order. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza