Task force confirms smuggled broccoli at Benguet trade centers

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Municipal Anti-Vegetable Sabotage Task Force confirmed Wednesday the presence of smuggled broccoli during inspections at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post and the Strawberry Farm backfill area.

La Trinidad Mayor Roderick Awingan and Municipal Agriculturist Nida Organo led the inspection team alongside local police chief Lt. Col. Zacarias Dausen and Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center general manager Ruth Diego.

The municipal operation followed a joint early-morning inspection by the Department of Agriculture Cordillera office and the Bureau of Plant Industry that identified vendors offering illegally imported produce.

Authorities collected product samples for laboratory testing to serve as evidence in legal proceedings under Republic Act 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act.

Awingan warned consumers against purchasing the illicit produce, stating that uninspected agricultural imports bypass mandatory sanitary screening and undermine the livelihoods of local highland farmers.

The inspection came after the Cordillera Broccoli Traders alerted municipal authorities to the presence of contraband broccoli, noting the imported vegetables are identifiable by their uniform dimensions, trimmed bases and absent stems.