AGRI smugglers have found a way to dispose of onions illegally sneaked into the country, according to a neophyte congressman.
Instead of flooding public markets with smuggled onions, syndicates have gone to e-commerce platforms – including Shopee and Lazada.
In a statement, Agri party list Rep. Wilbert Lee called on concerned government agencies to track down, identify and press criminal charges against what he aptly described as more like the so-called dark web – where prohibited and illegally sourced products are being sold.
As a result, he added, farmgate prices of locally produced onions were compromised, adding that farmers were forced to sell their harvest at a pitiful P28 per kilo, which is even comparatively lower than the P30 production cost.
More than the losses incurred by onion farmers, Lee also expressed fear over the safety of the consumers as smuggled onions sold online did not go through government health and safety inspections.
The congressman also urged the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to take full responsibility for the sneaked onions flooding e-commerce.
The Department of Trade and Industry was also told to formulate a clear policy on e-commerce platforms.
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