PORT of SUBIC — The Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Bureau of Customs, on Wednesday reported  the seizure of five containers with undocumented shipment of fresh carrots and yellow onions valued at an estimated PHP21 million.

The containers were aboard the vessel SITC Licheng, which docked at the Port of Subic on August 15. According to the DA, the agricultural commodities were imported from China by Betron Consumer Goods Trading.

Shortly after the vessel’s arrival, the Bureau of Plant Industry – Plant Quarantine Service at the Port of Subic requested BOC to inspect the contents of the five containers. Despite Betron’s declaration of the cargo as 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.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr., who led the inspection at the Port of Subic, together with BPI Director Glen Panganiban, Customs Deputy Commissioner Juvymax R. Yu and Subic Customs Collector Ricardo U. Morales condemned the unlawful operation. “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,” Sec. Tiu Laurel said. “As directed by President Ferdinand Marcos,7 Jr., we will be relentless in our effort to go after these smugglers,” he added.

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.

In a related development, the test recently conducted by the BPI on smuggled oranges from Thailand seized last month at the Manila International Container Port showed significant pesticide residues and microbiological contaminants, exceeding the country’s safety standards and regulations.

The BPI emphasized that perishable goods deemed unfit for human consumption or posing health risks will not be sold or donated, in accordance with DA and Department of Health regulations. ###