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DA tightens
rules on importation of vegetables
by Rocel
Felix, The Philippine Star
16-Oct-2002
Reacting to
complaints from local farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is
tightening the rules on the entry of imported vegetables.
Agriculture
Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor said the DA will be rigidly
enforcing Republic Act 8800 or the Safeguard Measures Act that seeks
to protect local agriculture products from the entry of competing
imported commodities.
As part of the
effort to control the inflow of imported vegetables, the Vegetable
Industry Stakeholders in Benguet which accounts for the majority of
vegetables being sold in Metro Manila, will work closely with the DA
Central and DA-Cordillera Autonomous Region field unit top undertake
market intelligence and monitoring activities to make sure trading
malpractices are reported to proper authorities.
Despite the
influx of imported vegetables, Montemayor estimated that the volume
was brought in so far, is only 0.17 percent of total vegetable demand
of the country.
"A review
of the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Plant Industry
quarantine records on quarantine import permit issuance indicate that
a small volume of vegetables for the month of July and August were
sourced from Australia, the Netherlands and China," Montemayor said.
For the first
nine months of the year, the country imported 267 metric tons of
semi-temperature vegetables from Australia and the US.
The biggest
importers were Rustans Supermarket, Leysan Commercial, Santag
Commodities, Australasia Food and Beverage Corporation, Wendenberg
International, the Asian Development Bank Commissary, Philippine
Airlines Tuckerbag Inc., Australia Prime, Macro Asia Eurest, Pacific
Alliance, Blue Dairy Corporation, AFPC Property Ltd., and Mount Zion Express.
Montemayor
said the importers brought in at least 37 kinds of semi-temperate
vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower,
celery, potato and mushroom, directly competing with local produce.
Rustan's
brought in about five tons of carrots during the period or 82 percent
of total registered carrot imports, 74 percent of total potato
imports; 42 percent of leeks, 45 percent of cabbage, 52 percent of
mushrooms and 22 percent of total cauliflower imports.
The ADB
commissary was also a regular importer as it had to meet the food
requirements of the bank's multiracial staff and their dependents.
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