Piñol said the National Food Authority Council (NFAC) has approved the measure, which would authorize a technical team—with representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the NFA—to inspect warehouses abroad, where rice imports by the government and private traders are coming from.
The inspection is a validation of the sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPS-IC) issued to the accredited and licensed rice trader and importer, Piñol explained.
Piñol said the inspection would determine if the warehouses are SPS-compliant and are safe for human consumption. Furthermore, the additional SPS measure will prevent unwanted situations with rice shipments arriving in the country, such as the recent case of the weevil-infested imports by the NFA, Piñol added.
The mandatory inspection will cover all rice shipments arriving in the country, whether imported by the private sector or the government, Piñol explained.
If a shipment is found to be unsafe for human consumption or in violation of SPS standards, then the supply would not be given clearance for shipment to the country, according to Piñol.
Supplies declined, not the bid
However, the supplier would be given the chance to change the supply or stocks to be exported to the Philippines.
“We would issue the SPS and then inspect at the port of origin. If the shipments would not pass SPS [standards] then we will decline it,” he said in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the Asean Agriculture Summit 2018 on October 1.
“It is only the supply that we will be declining but not the [winning] bid,” he added. Piñol, who is the chairman of the NFAC, said the highest policy-making body of the NFA has approved the measure and it will be implemented in the next round of importation.
Furthermore, Piñol said the government will shoulder the additional costs incurred in sending technical people abroad to conduct the inspection and evaluation.
Asked if the government is willing to shoulder the possible additional costs of sending technical teams abroad, Piñol replied, “What is that if we are protecting the interest of the Filipino consumers?”
In the latest terms of reference (TOR) for the private-sector rice importation under the minimum access volume scheme, winning bidders are required to submit an SPS-IC, Certificates of Origin, Fumigation and Inspection Certificate pertaining to the condition of the vessels prior to the arrival of their shipments.
However, the TOR did not specify the issuing authority of the Certificates of Origin, Fumigation and Inspection Certificate and how they will be obtained by the importers, unlike in the TOR for the government rice importation.
Under the two TORs for the NFA’s rice importation this year, the cost of fumigating the cargo vessel carrying the shipment will be shouldered by the winning supplier.
Furthermore, the winning suppliers should tap a “reliable, first-class independent international surveyor” to supervise and ensure that the rice stocks from their warehouses are fit for human consumption and comply with pertinent SPS measures.
Image credits: Alysa Salen