Four firms charged for alleged agri products smuggling  —DA chief

Four companies have been charged due to alleged smuggling of agricultural products, Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Monday.

''Well, sa blacklist sampu ‘no, out of the 16 at nakasuhan na, yeah apat na nakasuhan (four were already charged),'' Tiu Laurel said at a press briefing.

In December, the DA, through its Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), blacklisted ten firms for supposedly engaging in illegal trade activities, marking a significant crackdown on smuggling and other unlawful agricultural trade practices.

The move was part of DA’s intensified efforts to combat agricultural smuggling, profiteering, hoarding, and cartel activities that drive up food prices and destabilize the local market.

Tiu Laurel earlier said that with the recent passage of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, the government is prepared to take more decisive actions against violators.—LDF, GMA Integrated News