Personnel of the Department of Agriculture (DA) seized around P21 million worth of smuggled fresh carrots and yellow onions in a raid on the Port of Subic.
Citing a report from the ground, DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said the smuggled agricultural products were discovered in five container cans that were imported from China.
The container vans, however, were intercepted by DA personnel, through the Bureau of Plant Industry- Plant Quarantine Service at the Port of Subic and despite the declaration that the cargo were frozen fish egg balls, the inspection revealed a substantial quantity of fresh vegetables: 58 metric tons of carrots and 86 metric tons of yellow onions.
Import regulations mandate that fresh vegetables and other agricultural food products require Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSIC) issued by the BPI.
For processed food items, like the declared commodity, frozen fish egg balls importers are required to secure permits from the Food and Drug Administration.
“Clearly, these are smuggled goods that rob our government of tariff revenue, pose a risk to public health, and undermine the livelihood of our vegetable farmers,” said Laurel.
BPI Director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said that samples from the seized vegetables will be tested to determine their suitability for human consumption. The tests will check for pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microbiological contaminants.
Any imported agricultural products that fail these tests will be condemned and destroyed.