FOLLOWING through with Partido Reporma’s standard-bearer Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson’s declaration of support to our local farmers, party mate and senatorial aspirant Guillermo Lorenzo Tolentino Eleazar criticized agriculture officials for allowing food imports that are ‘killing’ local vegetable growers. In strong agreement with Lacson, the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief likewise questioned why imported vegetables, among them carrots, onions and other staples, are being allowed at the expense of our local producers who are now complaining about unfair competition posed by importers.
“We are killing the local industry. Why import strawberries and carrots when we have strawberries and carrots here? I think your commitment to your fellow Filipinos should be more important than your commitment with importers,” Lacson had said at a Senate hearing to executives of the Bureau of Plant Industry, which is under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA).
Influx of imported agri products
Aside from the problem posed by the influx of imported agri products, local farmers also complained about smuggled fruits, such as strawberries, declared as ‘ornamental plants’ and common vegetables, which are making a ‘killing’ in profits because they are sold cheaper in local markets because they enter the country without paying proper tariffs or taxes.https://metrosundaily.com/health hazards due to the fact that those that were smuggled into the country may have been produced using harmful chemical fertilizers and also did not undergo pest risk analysis.
Eleazar noted that not only are imported and smuggled agri products killing the local industry, they may also pose as health hazards due to the fact that those that were smuggled into the country may have been produced using harmful chemical fertilizers and also did not undergo pest risk analysis.
“Hindi dapat pinapayagan ang ganitong situwasyon, lalo na dahil nasa krisis tayo sanhi ng pandemya (ng coronavirus) at paghina ng ating ekonomiya habang maraming sa ating mga kababayan ang nahaharap sa lubhang kahirapan. Kailangan umaksyon ang ating pamahalaan sa problemang ito para masagip ang ating mga magsasaka na naghihikahos na dahil sa pagkalugi sanhi ng mga smuggled na mga gulay at prutas,” the country’s former ‘top cop’ pointed out.
Smuggling from neighboring countries
Meanwhile, agriculture undersecretary for regulations Zamzamin Ampatuan equally expressed concern over the issue of smuggling of farm produce from neighboring countries, such as Thailand, but mostly from the Chinese mainland.
“Smuggling is economic sabotage and this is hurting our farmers and fisher folks. The Department of Agriculture has been looking into this issue and we have set up certain measures to curb smuggling. (Moreover), the basic concern of the DA is to ensure that these foods are safe and that they follow sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards, which is the basis for allowing import,” Ampatuan enthused.
For his part, Bureau of Customs (BoC) commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero disclosed that they have already filed a total of 55 criminal complaints in the last three years against personalities over alleged smuggling, with 29 of these filed just this year, even as he added that in the past 12 months, the BOC had undertaken 172 apprehensions of smuggled agricultural products.
“Our border protection and anti-smuggling efforts are being implemented through the conduct of intelligence and enforcement operations supported by our risk management system. It involves the examination and inspection of shipments at the ports and raids on warehouses and storage facilities containing smuggled goods,” Guerrero concluded.
