President Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Agriculture to streamline administrative procedures and policies on the importation of agricultural products and remove non-tariff barriers to address increasing domestic prices of agricultural commodities.
The President, through Administrative Order 20 that was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on April 18, said it has been observed that administrative constraints and non-tariff barriers, that unduly add to the costs of importation and limit supplies, continue to persist, thereby increasing domestic prices of agricultural commodities. The non-tariff barriers include quotas, import licensing systems, regulations, and red tape, among others.
“It is imperative to further streamline administrative procedures to foster transparency and predictability of policies on the importation of agricultural products in order to help ensure food security, maintain sufficient supply of agricultural goods in the domestic market, and improve local production,” Marcos said.
The President also directed the DA, in coordination either with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) or the Department of Finance (DOF), to streamline procedures and requirements in the licensing of importers, minimize processing time of application for importation, and exempt licensed trades from submission of registration requirements.
Marcos likewise instructed the DA to, subject to consultations with the National Economic and Development Authority Committee on Tariff and Related Matters, facilitate importation of certain agricultural products beyond the authorized minimum access volume and reduce, or remove administrative fees.
The DA was also ordered to streamline procedures and requirements for the issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance ; and to take concrete steps to improve logistics, transport, distribution and storage of imported agricultural products; while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is “ordered to prioritize the unloading and release of imported agricultural products, subject to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and other applicable laws, rules, and regulations of the bureau”.
The President also ordered the DA, DTI, BOC, Philippine Competition Commission, the Department of Interior and Local Government Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police to form a Surveillance Team with the DA as head, to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the AO.
Among the tasks of the Surveillance Team was to: monitor importation and distribution of imported agricultural products to ensure efficient and complete distribution thereof to warehouses and retail outlets; prevent illegal acts of price manipulation and other forms of unfair or anti-competitive commercial practices; take appropriate remedial measures to address unlawful acts, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations; and formulate specific guidelines for the implementation of the AO, which shall include, among others, a mechanism to facilitate information sharing and enhance transparency and accountability of concerned government agencies.
The AO 20 takes effect immediately.
