The Bureau of Customs (BOC) intercepted a shipment of illegally imported oranges from Thailand worth more than P8.5 million at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
The confiscated shipment consisting of 3,200 cartons of fresh oranges was intercepted at the MICP after discovering that the fresh fruits were not covered by the required import sanitary clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry.
“The unlawful importation of the oranges was halted due to the timely derogatory information shared by the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) that the shipment lacked the mandatory Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC),” the BOC said in a statement.
The confiscated oranges will be condemned to ensure the fruits do not reach the local market and to protect the country’s borders and prevent the entry of unsafe and illegally imported agricultural products.
The bureau will file appropriate charges against the importer of seized agricultural products. District Collector Carmelita Talusan vowed to continue monitoring all arriving shipments into the country as “ber” months, the peak season for the importation of various products starts next week.
