Benguet Cong. Eric Go Yap lauded the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday, Oct. 22, after confiscating several tons of misdeclared imported carrots from China worth P13.2 million.
Yap condemned the misdeclaration as a deliberate act to deceive the government and harm farmers and hopes the government remains steadfast in filing legal actions against those involved and will be pursued through the proper channels.
This seizure is part of the BOC’s intensified efforts against agricultural smuggling, which negatively impacts local farmers and the economy.
Since his re-election last May, Yap said he has been collaborating with other government agencies, particularly the BOC in curving the smuggling of vegetable in the country.
“We will continue to pursue efforts on anti-smuggling of vegetables for the protection of our province-mates in Benguet,” said Yap.
According to a report, the BOC intercepted three 40-foot containers filled with fresh carrots from China, instead of assorted household items based.
The report added the illicit cargo arrived in the Philippines early this month and was initially issued an alert order following a tip received by the Port of Manila’s Alert Monitoring Unit.
Customs examiners conducted a full physical examination of the cargo, confirming the misdeclaration.
Inside the containers, officials discovered several kilograms of carrots hidden behind a fraudulent declaration of bathroom fixtures, napkins, and storage boxes.
The Cordillera Administrative Region, produces 85 percent of the country’s highland vegetables, with Benguet contributing 65 to 75 percent of the total.
With the hopes of improving the lives of Benguet farmers, Yap has recently filed two bills ion the Congress that will strengthen their resiliency while urging the Department of Agriculture to impose and regulate farmgate prices of highly perishable vegetables which include, but are not limited to, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chayote, and lettuce.
Most of these vegetables are produced in Benguet.
In Yap’s House Bill 1511, The DA is given the power to impose and regulate farm gate prices for highly perishable vegetables that will continuously undergo seasonal review and appropriate changes, considering the time, effort and resources, market conditions and other economic indicators so as to ensure profitability and productivity among the local vegetable farmers.
This measure will also mandate the farmers cultivating the said highly perishable vegetable crops to register their vegetable crops as part of the monitoring of the Standard Farm Gate Price and to prevent the crop’s overproduction due to unregistered and unscrupulous supply of the highly perishable vegetables that are not included in the implementation of this measure.
Another bill set to give safeguard to farmers is HB 4969 or the Free Index – Based Agricultural Insurance bill which aims to protect farmers from climate disasters.
If the bill is passed, it will replace outdated, slow systems with quick, data-based support and ensure government help goes where it’s most needed, where climate risk and poverty are highest.
The bill also gives farmers the peace of mind they need to keep producing food for all of us, even in a time of changing weather. This bill is a step toward a more secure, resilient, and farmer-friendly food system. NLMonitor
