Smuggled vegetables seized

Operatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday have seized more than 300 tons of smuggled vegetables in a Navotas City warehouse last Thursday night which included onions and carrots.

In its report, the DA disclosed that one cold storage facility contained 132.75 tons of white onions worth about P21.2 million, while another held 89.89 tons of imported carrots valued at about P13.48 million.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered a halt to onion and carrot import permits due to abundant harvests.

Other seized items included 360 kilos of smuggled tomatoes, 10 kilos of enoki mushrooms, and 92.25 tons of imported white onions in a container van.

“We cannot allow illegal trade practices such as this to continue hurting the livelihood of our farmers. The order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is clear: Go after these smugglers without let up,” Laurel said.