An attached agency of the Department of Agriculture said Monday it revoked the import license of Manila-based LVM Grains Enterprises following an unauthorized importation of agricultural products from Vietnam.
Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said in a statement he issued an order canceling LVM’s license and all associated sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances.
BPI is the main agency responsible for serving and supporting the Philippine plant industry sector. Among its tasks are plant quarantine and management of crop pests and diseases.
Panganiban said he issued the order following LVM’s failure to provide a credible explanation for the shipment of milled rice, coffee and cashew nuts from Vietnam.
The shipment was aboard MV Royal 89 sans the necessary import clearance, according to the BPI. The agency also noted LVM’s history of non-compliance.
Panganiban said all plant and plant product imports require an import clearance and phytosanitary certificate from the origin country.
“This is to ensure shipments meet our phytosanitary requirements and are free from quarantine or exotic plant pests,” he said.
