House probe into alleged sale of smuggled onions online sought

Agri party-list Representative Wilbert Lee has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the alleged selling of smuggled onions and other agricultural products on online platforms, which he said could be detrimental to the economy and local agricultural industry.

Based on House Resolution No. 1600, Lee, citing news reports, said that the sale of smuggled onions is “booming” online, with some being sold for as low as P25 per kilo on Facebook.

The daily price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed that local red onions were priced at P60/kg to P130/kg, while the imported ones were sold at P90/kg to P100/kg.

Local white onions, meanwhile, were priced at P50/kg to P120/kg, and the imported white onions ranged from P90/kg to P120/kg.

Lee said that smuggled agricultural products pose threats to consumers as they failed to undergo phytosanitary analysis to determine if they are safe for human consumption.

“Filipino consumers are also at risk from food product smuggling, as uncontrolled importation is most likely to blame for plant and animal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) and Cocolisap (coconut scale bug), that have plagued the country and the livelihood of many Filipinos,” the resolution read.

The lawmaker thus warned that the sale of smuggled agricultural products will continue to proliferate, exposing Filipinos to risks and jeopardizing the livelihood of farmers and fishermen if the issue is not resolved immediately by the necessary government agencies.

Lee has directed the appropriate House Committee to conduct the inquiry, in aid of legislation.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) earlier said that the farmgate prices of red onions are feared to drop to as low as P10 to P15 if smuggling isn’t checked in the country.

DA Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa had admitted that there was a significant increase in the production of onions after many farmers were encouraged to plant the crop after its price skyrocketed.

He said the Bureau of Plant Industry and other concerned agencies are establishing market linkages to make sure the supply of onions finds its way to the market. —KG, GMA Integrated News