45,000 bags of rice, labelled building materials, seized at Subic

NINETY containers of rice on board trucks without import entry has been seized by customs officials at Manila's Subic Freeport at estimated value of PHP42 million (US$100,000).

The 45,000 bags of rice declared as building materials could have put local farmers out of work, said the Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon, cited a report from Manila Bulletin.

The rice thought to originate from Vietnam would have faced a steeper import rice tariff imposed by Philippines to stop the influx of imported rice up from 100,000 tonnes in 1984 to two million tonnes in 1998.

In a report from Manila Sun Star, Mr Biazon said its BOC closely monitors the country's Freeport Zones: "We will never allow the smugglers to exploit the privileges being offered by the government to legitimate locators of all Freeport Zones."

Rice imports are subject to tariffs and quotas in the Philippines. Manila's Bulatlat.com reports that the US opposes the Philippines' petition to the World Trade Organisation to extend its quota.

Pressed by its domestic farm lobby, Manila wants a three-year extension of the quota, arguing that rice import volumes have risen, and the government has increased quotas to 1.8 million tonnes. The WTO is working towards an absence of quotas worldwide.