The Department of Agriculture (DA) has formed a technical working group to assist lawmakers in amending the Anti-Agricutural Smuggling Act of 2016.
This law is designed to protect the agriculture sector by declaring large-scale smuggling of farm products as economic sabotage—a crime punishable with life imprisonment.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has certified as urgent the passage of a new law that adds price and supply manipulaion of agricultural products as economic sabotage. It also increases the fine imposed against offenders.
The current law only identifies large-scale smugglers as economic saboteurs and punishes them with life imprisonment and a fine twice the fair value of smuggled farm goods and the total amount of taxes, duties, and other charges.
Smuggling of agricultural products like sugar, corn, pork, onion, and garlic is considered large scale if the value is at least P1 million and, in the case of rice, if the minimum value is P10 million.
In a special order No. 227 dated Feb. 15, DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. designated lawyer Paz Benavidez II, DA assistant secretary for regulations, as head of the 8-member TWG that will prepare the department’s position and inputs for consideration of both Houses of Congress.
The agriculture chief noted that while the House of Representatives and the Senate have different versions of the amendatory measure, both bills seek to include acts of hoarding, profiteering and cartel of agricultural products as economic sabotage and increase the fine to thrice the value of smuggled goods.
Lawmakers expect that stiffer punishment against offenders will discourage the smuggling of agricultural products that could lead to more affordable food prices and increased earnings for local farmers. With Othel Campos
