LOCAL vegetable farmers have been losing an estimated P2.5 million a day since early January this year due to the influx of smuggled agricultural products, the League of Associations at La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Areas yesterday told senators.
Agot Balanoy, the group’s public information officer, said the cause of income loss was due to the increased volume of smuggled carrots entering the country which led to the decline from 20 percent in 2021 to 40 percent this year in orders coming from different markets.
Balanoy said the drop comes amid reports of seizures of smuggled products by government agencies.
“The decline of our orders coming from the different key markets declined from 20 to 40 percent. So, last year, 20 percent lang (only) but this year because the volume of smuggled carrots doubled, the decrease in orders also doubled,” Balanoy said during the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the rampant smuggling incidents of agricultural products in the country.
This was the second time that the committee conducted a hearing on the matter. The first was held on December 14 last year.
Balanoy said the 40 percent decline in orders could translates to a daily loss of P2.5 million.
She said local produced carrots have suffered further since consumers prefer the ones coming from China because they have a longer shelf life, unlike the locally produced ones which only remain fresh for two to three days.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III alleged carrots coming from China are laced with formaldehyde to keep them fresh longer.
“Formaldehyde, the cancer-causing substance used to spray on imported vegetables by Chinese exporters in order to keep them fresh. Usually used in building materials and household cleaning products, glues and adhesives,” Sotto said.
Balanoy said their group have been complaining about the influx of smuggled products since July last year “but the Department of Agriculture denied that there is smuggling or that there are smuggled vegetables coming from China entering the markets.”
She also slammed the slow action of local officials, including ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap, who is the caretaker of Benguet, in addressing the issue of smuggling.
Balanoy doubted that Yap will pursue his resolution urging the House of Representatives to look into the smuggling of agricultural products, noting that Yap has been identified as a smuggler in a 2017 privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan believes “untouchables” are behind the continued smuggling of agricultural products.
“There are untouchables who have strong connections that’s why they remain scot-free.
That’s how I read it. Maybe they are very close to the administration that’s why,” Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said the smuggling of products also happened during his time as food security secretary in the past administration but there were no sacred cows since charges were filed against smugglers.
Sotto said he will schedule another hearing to get updates from concerned agencies on the action done to stop smuggling.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the citizens can conduct arrests or call for assistance once they see smuggled agricultural products being sold in the market.
He likewise challenged the BOC and DA to stop smuggling, which he alleged continues to happen because some importers found to have been engaged in wrongdoing and which have been blacklisted are accredited again after they change their names.
