Baguio council denounces vegetable smuggling

March 21, 2022 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Council, in a resolution, has denounced the proliferation of smuggled vegetables in the country. Councilor Joel Alangsab, the principal author of the ordinance appealed to the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Agriculture to provide a permanent solution to the alleged smuggling of
vegetables which are being sold in the markets of Metro Manila and other parts of the country.
Alangsab recalled that at least 250 vehicles of farmers, truckers, and other members of the League of Associations of the Vegetable Trading Post held a caravan last February at the main thoroughfares of La Trinidad, Benguet calling on government authorities to support the fight of the local farmers against the smuggling of carrots from China.
According to Alangsab, farmers and stakeholders of the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center and the Vegetable Trading Post are continuously collaborating with the local government and concerned government agencies to curb the said practice.
Aside from smuggled carrots, smuggled cabbages from China and imported strawberries from South Korea were also spotted in the markets nationwide.
The councilor said rampant smuggling activities continue to affect the local vegetable industry and endanger the livelihood of local farmers and traders in the region, stressing that the Cordillera region is the top producer of highland vegetables in the country. He said 80% of the vegetable supplies of Metro Manila and other lowland provinces come from the Cordillera Region.
(JGH-SP Baguio/ABN)