DA to probe smuggling of carrots, broccoli

MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the Department of Agriculture’s Inspectorate and Enforcement office (DA-IE) and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to investigate the alleged smuggling of carrots, broccoli and other highland vegetables, citing concerns over unfair competition hurting farmers, particularly in the Cordillera.

The order follows monitoring operations in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet, where authorities found imported or allegedly smuggled broccoli being sold alongside locally grown produce.

A DA-Cordillera report dated Oct. 15 said three stalls at the Baguio Hangar Market displayed imported broccoli, with one stall presenting a styrofoam box labeled “Product of China.”

Interviews with vendors and distributors indicated that about 50 boxes of broccoli, costing around P1,250 each, were reportedly sourced from a supplier in Santo Cristo, Divisoria, every other day.

The produce was transported through vegetable trucks returning from Manila.

Retail prices ranged from P170 to P250 per kilo in monitored areas, the report said.

Authorities have yet to establish whether the vegetables were smuggled into the country.

“We will get to the bottom of this, and if violations of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law were indeed committed, we will make sure these violators are punished,” Tiu Laurel said.

The reported sources and distribution arrangements remain subject to verification.

With the presence of imported or alleged smuggled broccoli in the consumer market areas, the monitoring team heard complaints from market facilitators about difficulties in selling locally grown produce.

Some buyers reportedly favored cheaper imported supplies, adding pressure on Benguet farmers.

The DA-Cordillera recommended joint inspections by DA-IE and BPI at major trading hubs in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon to check import documents, plant quarantine compliance and food safety requirements.

It also urged inter-agency collaborations with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to strengthen coordination with the local government units and market stakeholders on local market monitoring and enforcement of proper price tagging and product labeling.

In a coordination meeting conducted by the Benguet Province task force in September, the DA-Cordillera presented its joint monitoring reports and discussed marketing concerns with DTI alongside the implementation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

Broccoli samples were collected by BPI personnel and tested for heavy metals and formalin, according to the report.