THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it would kick-start next year its P2-billion border improvement project that seeks to curb smuggling of agricultural goods—a potential source of pests and transboundary animal diseases to the country—through the use of modern facilities.
The DA disclosed recently that it plans to request for a P2-billion funding from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) next month for its proposed first border facilities in five key ports in the country.
The integrated border facilities will cost about P400 million each, and will be established in the ports of Manila, Batangas, Bataan, Cebu and Davao, it added.
The project, approved by the Duterte Cabinet, seeks to improve the country’s border control since such facilities have been lacking in the first place, the DA explained.
The DA pointed out that, at present, government quarantine authorities do not have the capacity of inspecting some shipments, particularly those requiring cold storage, right in the port.
Citing recent seizures by government, the DA added that smuggled goods are hidden in the innermost part of the containers, making it hard for quarantine authorities to discover them due to lack of modern facilities.
“From the very start, we didn’t have these. Our quarantine methodology is still closed-open. You can only see some things, but you can’t unravel everything,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said last week, in a mix of English and Filipino.
“The Cabinet has approved the plan. We are ready to submit it to the DBM in January, and we will request P2 billion,” Dar added.
Dar said the integrated, multi-commodity facility will be utilized by the Bureau of Animal Industry, National Meat Inspection Service, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bureau of Customs and other quarantine-involved agencies.
“It’s a multi-commodity facility where our quarantine people can do proper work,” he said.
The DA has blamed smuggled meat imports, particularly those that came from African swine fever-infected countries, like China, as one of the culprits for the entry of the fatal hog disease in the country.