DA to Test Seized Garlic for Safety

Manila (PNA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) opened last Friday five of the 24 seized container vans of imported garlic from China to collect samples for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) for testing at the Manila International Container Port.

DA Undersecretary for Operations Atty. Emerson Palad said that in line with BOC and DA procedures, the garlic samples shall be subjected to the required SPS testing at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to determine whether they are safe for human consumption and free from pest and diseases.

Estimated at 125 metric tons, the smuggled garlic worth over P37 million was confiscated by BOC for failure to provide necessary import permits.

Palad explained that the SPS clearance is imperative for all agricultural imports to protect local consumers and to make sure that there will be no threat on local agricultural produce.

“The laboratory test usually takes three days, then we will turn over the result and the samples to the BOC for their final disposition,” Palad said.

He commended the intensified drive of the BOC against the illegal entry of agricultural products which, he said, is both beneficial to the government and to the farmers.

Should the seized garlic passes the SPS testing, BOC and DA may study the possibility of disposing the contraband through the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS) for distribution. DA-AMAS facilitated the farmers’ garlic caravan in various Metro Manila markets to offer cheaper local garlics. Final disposition of smuggled items, though, is BOC’s call.

“Should the garlic end up in the local market, it shall further boost the domestic supply and could further influence downward trend in prices, as we expect of the coming in of legal importations in weeks to come,” said Palad.

Garlic seized earlier at the Port of Batangas tested free from pests and diseases. Customs Commissioner John Sevilla said the smuggled garlic shall undergo the standard forfeiture procedures. Importing garlic without the proper import permits from DA violates Presidential Decree No. 1433 (Plant Quarantine Law of 1978).

Meanwhile, efforts of the Department to inject additional supplies into the market through the deployment of rolling stores have helped ease consumers’ garlic price woes. Based on DA’s latest monitoring, prevailing market price of imported garlic had gone down to around P150 per kilo in some Metro Manila markets from as high as nearly P400 a kilo.

DA said it expects prices to go down further by the coming weeks following the arrival on Friday of the first batch of the legally imported stocks, for which 280 SPS clearances were issued by the DA-Plant Quarantine Office. (PNA) SCS/PR/PJN