The Department of Agriculture has blacklisted three agricultural food importers and is poised to revoke the import licenses of five more due to illegal trade activities.

“We will not turn a blind eye to these importers’ illegal practices that undermine government revenues and put public health at risk. To do so would be to abdicate our sworn duty to protect our farmers and the Filipino consumers,” agriculture secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said.

Blacklisted by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on May 21 was LVM Grains Enterprises, which imported milled rice, cashew nuts, and coffee without the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances. The BPI also placed Kysse Lishh Consumer Goods Trading and Golden Rays Consumer Goods Trading on their blacklist due to their respective importation of onions and oranges without SPIC permits and import licenses.

The import licenses of five other firms have been suspended for revocation due to misdeclarations, illegal importation, and anti-competitive trade practices. The Philippine Competition Commission is leading the prosecution of the three companies accused of engaging in anti-competitive trade activities.

“We will withhold the identities of these five importers because the cases we filed against them are still pending. Until their cases are resolved, however, they cannot transact with BPI,” said BPI director Gerald Glenn Panganiban.

Just last month, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed into law a measure that classifies smuggling, hoarding, and cartel operations involving agricultural products as economic sabotage. This means stiffer fines and longer jail terms for those who violate the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. The law considers smuggling and hoarding of agricultural products as economic sabotage when the value of goods exceeds P10 million. ###