Government bans imports of fruits from China

The Department of Agriculture has banned the importation of apples, apricot, peach and plum, quince, cherry, almond, walnut, ornamental apple, pears and corn from China.

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor said the Bureau of Plant Industry recently intercepted an apple pest called codling moth (Cydia pomonella) in a shipment from China.

The codling moth belongs to the family of Torticidae of the order Lepidoptera (called Peterson in 1962) and such species feeds on living plant tissue, especially foliage or bores on twigs, flowers, buds, fruits and nuts of many wild and cultivated plants, Montemayor explained in issuing the administrative order banning such importation immediately.

The Philippines imports apples and other fruits from China.

Montemayor also ordered the immediate suspension of the processing, evaluation and issuance of import permits relevant to the importation of such commodities from China by the Bureau of Plant Industry.

He also stopped and ordered the confiscation of all shipments arriving in the country of such affected commodities originating from China by all plant quarantine officers at all seaports and airports.

"Upon arrival at Philippine ports, all imported fruits shall be subjected to immediate and necessary treatment and/or return to the country of origin or destroyed at the expense of the importers," Montemayor said.