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P50 million worth of smuggled onions, agri products from China seized

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Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Almost P50 million worth of smuggled agricultural goods were seized by officials of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Customs on Monday. Authorities found 325 tons of white onions, and boxes of carrots, tomatoes, and jars of Chinese kimchi during a raid on a warehouse with two cold storages in Brgy. Bangkulasi in Navotas City.&quot;First of all hindi natin alam kung safe yan kainin, walang papeles, walang health certificate, hindi dumaan sa phyto sanitary inspection, mahirap na, baka may sakit o may peste,&quot; said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.(We are not sure if these are safe for human consumption since there were no health certificates and no sanitary inspections. It would be risky, they might be carrying pests.)The products were believed to be from China, and the consignee has been identified, but deeper investigations are being done as to the owner of the warehouse.The importation ban on onions is still in effect because of the supply glut.&quot;Sa red onion, may oversupply, white onion medyo short kaya nakita natin, white onion ang pumapasok. Mino-monitor din ng mga smuggler na masho-short na ito kaya sila nagpasok nito. Makakaapekto sa presyo yan at sa kabuhayan ng ating farmers,&quot; Tiu Laurel Jr. told reporters.(We have an oversupply of red onions, while there may be a shortage of white onions soon. The smugglers might be monitoring our supplies. These affect the livelihood of our farmers.)The local government of Navotas said the building did not have a business permit to operate.The Bureau of Plant Industry will conduct food safety tests on the products, and if the shipments are safe, the bureau will issue proper certifications.&quot;Titingnan natin kung may residues ng pestisidyo, microorganism, kung safe ba ito. Talagang risky ito kung ito makakalabas. Ang ating premise ay hindi sya safe, pero pwede kami mag certify kung safe ang sinample,&quot; said Asec. Glenn Panganiban, director of the Bureau of Plant Industry.(We will check if there are residues of pesticides and microorganisms, and if these are safe to be eaten. Right now, it would be risky to sell them to markets. Our premise is that these aren&#x27;t safe, but if our samples are proven to be safe, we could issue certifications.)A court order is needed to clear the sale of the products via local stores such as Kadiwa Centers.Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel Jr. warned smugglers that once the new Anti-Smuggling Law takes effect, large-scale smuggling will be non-bailable and penalties for offenders will be harsher.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SbDw86B0-LU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>

Almost P50 million worth of smuggled agricultural goods were seized by officials of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Customs on Monday.

Almost P50 million worth of smuggled agricultural goods were seized by officials of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Customs on Monday.

P50 million worth of smuggled onions, agri products seized

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P50 million worth of smuggled onions, agri products seized

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 19, 2024 03:02 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 19, 2024 03:09 PM PHT

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Smuggled agri goods

BOC

DA

Navotas

smuggled onions

Customs

Department of Agriculture

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