The Department of Agriculture (DA) is tightening oversight of the food supply chain by requiring the mandatory registration of warehouses, cold storage facilities, and other agricultural logistics hubs under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, backed by stricter enforcement and penalties.
Under newly issued Guidelines for the Registry System for Agri Storage, all facilities storing agricultural and fishery products—whether owned, leased, or operated by third parties—must register through the DA Online Registration System.
The requirement covers rice warehouses, onion cold storage facilities, meat freezers, grain silos, refrigerated container vans, and agricultural storage tanks handling both locally sourced and imported products.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the registry will help dismantle smuggling networks, strengthen food safety monitoring, and protect domestic producers.
“We cannot stop smuggling, protect public health, or safeguard our farmers if we do not know where the stocks are. Registration gives government clear visibility over the supply chain so we can move quickly against hoarding, illegal imports, and abusive practices that undermine Filipino producers and harm consumers,” Tiu Laurel said.
The policy requires agri-fishery businesses to keep complete, accurate, and auditable records for at least five years, including disclosure of storage capacity, commodities handled, and inventory levels, along with monthly operational records and quarterly electronic reports submitted to relevant trade regulatory agencies.
The guidelines also define violations and sanctions. Failure or refusal to present required documents upon lawful demand constitutes a violation, while the inability to produce updated operational reports already submitted to regulators may serve as prima facie evidence of noncompliance.
Crimes involving information and communications technologies, including digital concealment or manipulation of records, may lead to additional criminal charges and, subject to due process, the suspension, revocation, or cancellation of licenses, registrations, and accreditations, including preventive suspension when public safety is at risk.
The digital registry is designed to improve traceability, enhance food safety oversight, and generate reliable data to detect unusual stock accumulation that may signal price manipulation or artificial shortages.
Registration is separate from, and does not substitute for, licenses or accreditations issued by regulators such as the Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, National Meat Inspection Service, Sugar Regulatory Administration, and National Tobacco Administration.
Micro-scale operators, including sari-sari stores, wet market vendors, home-based family enterprises, itinerant peddlers, and certified barangay micro-businesses with assets below P3 million, are exempt under the law’s social justice provisions.
For medium and large operators, registration is now mandatory as authorities shift toward data-driven enforcement and tighter monitoring of agricultural storage operations.
