Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he will blacklist at least four agricultural traders for alleged smuggling activities.
Tiu-Laurel said two of the companies import fishery products, while the other two are involve in rice and sugar trade.
He warned errant importers of dire consequences as the DA vowed to go after smugglers, regardless of professional and personal relations.
Tiu Laurel emphasized the damaging effects of agricultural smuggling which is tantamount to economic sabotage.
The DA has not identified the companies, as investigations are ongoing. Being blacklisted will mean the companies’ import permits will be revoked, effectively barring them from importing agricultural products.
The agency earlier blacklisted a rice importer for suspicious activity such as misdeclaration of the volume of its imports. Tiu Laurel said the company declared only 20 percent of its actual rice importation.
He said to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, the DA implemented stricter import declaration procedures.
Importers are now required to declare valid sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC) via email to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement team within 24 hours of a shipment’s departure from the country of origin.
The system is expected to close a loophole and make it harder for smugglers to slip through the cracks, he said.
The DA chief also revealed attempts to bribe him in exchange of allowing entry of smuggled goods for P200,000 per container.