Onion Smuggling: China’s Red Onions Intercepted in the Philippines

Authorities seized a massive shipment of red onions smuggled from China, highlighting ongoing challenges with agricultural trade regulations and economic sabotage. The incident underscores vulnerabilities in border security and the government’s commitment to protect local farmers.

Illegal Onion Shipment Discovered

A total of 25 metric tons, worth around P2 million, of red onions illegally imported from China were intercepted. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) made the discovery at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Tuesday.

The shipment arrived on May 26 and was falsely declared as frozen goods. The fraudulent declaration listed items like buns, croissant dough, egg noodles, pizza dough, and spring rolls. The goods were consigned to a Binondo-based company, **Lantix Consumer Goods Trading**.

Cagayan de Oro’s BPI-Plant Quarantine Service requested that the BOC halt the release of the shipment for an inspection. This action led to the uncovering of the falsely declared goods.

“We intend to go after these unscrupulous traders with the full force of the law,”

—**Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.**, Agriculture Secretary

The DA has not issued the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances for red onions from China. **Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.** announced that legal action would be pursued against those violating the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. The price of onions in the Philippines has fluctuated wildly in recent years, with prices reaching as high as 700 pesos per kilo in late 2022 (Trading Economics, 2024).

Legal Consequences and Coordination

The Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act enforces severe penalties for agricultural smuggling, including substantial fines and extended prison sentences.

The DA acknowledged the BOC and District Collector **Arthur Sevilla** of the Mindanao Container Terminal’s contributions. Secretary **Tiu Laurel** also highlighted the fast coordination between the DA-BPI and the BOC, which prevented the smuggled onions from reaching local markets.