The Department of Agriculture (DA), the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), and the Bureau of Customs seized four container vans carrying smuggled refined sugar during an inspection in Manila on Thursday, signaling heightened enforcement against agricultural smuggling.
The shipments — two from Thailand and two from Vietnam — contained a total of 2,000 50-kg bags of sugar valued at P9 million. The DA identified the Lapaz Multipurpose Cooperative (LMC) of Roxas City as the importer of the Thai shipment, which lacked permits and allocation from the SRA. The Vietnamese shipment, consigned to Yabai OPC, was misdeclared as a sweetener mix to evade higher tariffs and has since been abandoned.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. condemned the smuggling as economic sabotage, warning that the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law, which imposes stricter penalties including denial of bail, will be strictly enforced.
“We cannot let these illicit trading practices undermine the agriculture sector and hurt our farmers, particularly those in the sugar industry,” Laurel said.
The DA has since ordered the blacklisting of LMC and Yabai, both registered sugar importers, and cited the discovery of unsafe levels of mesophilic bacteria in seized samples as further grounds for regulatory action.
To date, the DA’s Inspectorate and Enforcement Office has seized P407.6 million worth of smuggled farm products in 2025 alone, following a record P2.83 billion in seizures last year.
Meanwhile, SRA administrator Pablo Azcona noted ongoing pest containment efforts in the Visayas, where red striped soft scale insects have affected over 191 hectares and 115 sugarcane farmers. Control measures are expected to be more effective post-harvest season.
The incident underscores the administration’s push to enforce stricter import controls and protect local agriculture from both illegal trade and biological threats.
