These agricultural products were imported from China by Betron Consumer Goods Trading
The Department of Agriculture in the Philippines, along with the Bureau of Customs, has reported the seizure of five containers containing undocumented shipments of fresh carrots and yellow onions. The value of the seized goods is estimated to be around PHP21 million.
These containers were on board the vessel SITC Licheng, which arrived at the Port of Subic on August 15. The Department of Agriculture stated that these agricultural products were imported from China by Betron Consumer Goods Trading.
Upon the vessel’s arrival, the Bureau of Plant Industry – Plant Quarantine Service at the Port of Subic asked the Bureau of Customs to inspect the contents of the five containers. Despite Betron’s declaration of the cargo as frozen fish egg balls, the inspection revealed a large quantity of fresh vegetables: 58 metric tonnes of carrots and 86 metric tonnes of yellow onions.
According to import regulations, fresh vegetables and other agricultural food products require Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSIC) issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry. For processed food items, such as the declared commodity of frozen fish egg balls, importers are required to obtain permits from the Food and Drug Administration.
