Friday, April 25, 2008 ‘Stop smuggling of meat, agri products to protect local growers’
A party-list congressional representative said one of the priority areas that the government must look into is the smuggling of agricultural products.
Rep. Nicanor Briones of the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (Agap) said it is important to curb smuggling activities, primarily of agricultural produce, to protect the industry.
“(Smuggling of pork) brings in (animal diseases) to the country,” Briones told members of the media yesterday during the opening day of the 17th Hog Convention and Trade Exhibit at the Cebu International Convention Center.
He cited the spread of swine diseases like hog cholera, which has reduced production in Pampanga and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) regions, and resulted in the “tightening” of supply nationwide.
About 30 million heads of hogs produced annually come from these regions.
The entry of smuggled and cheaper pork has also caused some backyard hog raisers to price their hogs below production costs. With hog raisers not able to gain profit, some have already stopped raising hogs, said Briones.
Former agriculture under-secretary Ernesto Ordoñez said that since 2003, Briones has already been fighting against the smuggling of agricultural crops and products.
Initially, farmer representatives were deputized to monitor activities in five ports in the country, together with the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG).
“During that time, smuggling was minimized from 40 percent to one percent,” Ordoñez said during a press conference at the hog convention.
Briones said the Bureau of Customs, however, opposed the renewal of the tenure of deputized farmer representatives, which made smuggling worse.
He said that during his last meeting with President Gloria Arroyo, the President had told him she is serious about addressing the smuggling problem as it has contributed to the current food shortage in the country.
With this, Briones said he will push for the passage of House Bill (HB) 3130 or the Tariff and Customs Enforcement Act of 2007, which will institutionalize the partnership
of PASG, private stakeholders and the Bureau of Customs in the conduct of inspections of agricultural imports.
Once enacted, HB 3130 will not only benefit the hog raiser industry, but will also protect other farmers, he said.
A memorandum of agreement was already signed by PASG and Agap to allow farmer representatives to monitor and join the Bureau of Customs in the inspection of imported agricultural products.
This will also include the inspection of cold storage houses and slaughterhouses.
Farmer representatives will be assigned at each port in Subic, Cebu and Batangas and at two ports in Manila.
Funding from the private groups was also raised for the farmer representatives who will be assigned at the ports. Agap provided P1 million while a group of hog raisers donated P300,000.
The National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. also gave P500,000 for the program. (DME)
