Alcala backs move to block imports of agri, livestock products

MANILA, Philippines -  Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala is proving to be the farmers’ true ally, opting to block agricultural and livestock imports to benefit local growers.

In an ambush interview with reporters, Alcala said that he is supporting moves to increase the tariff on pork offals and to stop the importation of onions.

According to Alcala, he supports a move to impose a 35 percent tariff on pork offals.

However, Alcala said that the final decision would still be made by the Tariff Commission.

As for the onion sector, Alcala reassured onion growers that he would continue to protect the sector from the entry of imported onions, and would personally appeal to the Bureau of Customs to investigate the continued entry of imported onion by big retail and commercial establishments.

In a recent talk with onion growers, they revealed the continued entry of imported onions – this time coming through the backdoor of Davao in Mindanao.

The imported onion, they complained, are being sold openly in Divisoria and by several big chain retail supermarkets.

Local onion growers point out that the last time the DA issued onion import permits was in January 2010 or a period of one year and five months.

However, onions in cold storage have a shelf life of only 10 months.

As such, the onion growers said, the imported onions are smuggled.

They are, thus, asking the DA and the BoC to focus anti-smuggling efforts in Mindanao where illegal shipments from China and India have been diverted.

Onion farmers from the Sibuyas ng Pilipinas ay Ating Alagaan Foundation (Sipag) praised Secretary Alcala for his pro-farmer policy.

However, they have observed that vessels offload onion via Cagayan de Oro and Davao ports at a conservative average of 10, 14-footer container vans per week with around 3,500 bags (10 kilo each) per container.

These are then transported to Visayas and Luzon via inter-island vessels.

The onion growers pointed out following Alcala’s decision to stop all issuance of onion import permits, onion farmers are benefitting from farmgate prices of   P100.

Sipag president Francisco Collado, however, warned that with reported shipments from Davao, “our efforts will be useless.”