Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said that the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform will investigate the alleged overimportation of onions and other agricultural commodities during its upcoming committee hearings, amid growing concerns over the impact of excessive imports on local farmers and food producers.
The four-term senator was recently reinstated as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.
He stated that the committee’s hearing on the overimportation of agricultural goods, as well as the reports that operators are blocking farmers’ and fisherfolk’s access to cold storage facilities, will commence in the coming days.
“Posible rin na dahil nga inimbestigahan natin ito at tinatanong natin yung
overimportation at binabantayan natin eh maaaring ayaw nang habulin ito at baka mahabol pa sila at mapatawag sa imbestigasyon,” he said in response to queries on the abandonment of an estimated P86 million worth of imported red onions at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Pangilinan joined the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on Wednesday, June 10, in inspecting a shipment of 26 20-foot containers loaded with imported red onions.
“Yung susunod na hearing, it’s on record na papatawag natin yung lahat ng mga binigyan ng permit, lahat ng mga nag-ooperate ng cold storage facilities para magpaliwanag dun sa usapin nga ng overimportation at yung issue nga
na ginagamit ng mga trader, nire-reserba yung cold storage para wala nang access sa cold storage yung local farmers,” he added.
The senator likewise questioned the amount of red onions—an estimated gross weight of 650,000 kilograms—in the shipment.
“Actually, ang isang malaking concern dito ay ito ba ay overimportation? Assuming documented nga sya, at may proper sanitary at phytosanitary permits, ang tanong: Bakit napakarami?,” he asked.
The lawmaker previously flagged the conflicting data on domestic supply and demand for red onions from the DA and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
He warned that such discrepancies could lead to oversupply and adverse effects on domestic production and local farmers’ incomes.
“Ayusin ninyo (DA, BPI, at PSA) ang inyong mga datos para maiwasan itong overimportation na siyang pumapatay sa mga magsisibuyas natin mga farmers. We have to have a better way of monitoring our supply so that we can manage our importation,” Pangilinan said, adding that this was done when he was chairman of the board of the National Food Authority (NFA).
He likewise said that he will defer the agencies’ budgets if they fail to present a system to reconcile data inconsistencies.
According to the senator, reports from various agricultural stakeholders indicate that the continued influx of imported agricultural products may be contributing to depressed farmgate prices, reduced incomes for Filipino farmers, and market instability in key agricultural sectors.