Ex-DA chief hits easing food imports

MANILA, Philippines — Only importers will benefit from Administrative Order 20 issued by President Marcos – reportedly without consulting concerned officials – to remove non-tariff barriers to agriculture importation, a former agriculture chief said yesterday.

In an interview with The STAR, former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor said that the AO, reportedly the idea of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), would have adverse impact on agriculture, particularly on the local fisheries and sugar industries.

“It will weaken the local agricultural sector, especially fisheries and sugar. Worse, it did not undergo consultation. Based on my knowledge, the Department of Agriculture has a different position on this,” Montemayor said. 

Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa declined to comment. 

Citing constraints that increase importation costs and limit the supply of farm goods, President Marcos ordered the removal of non-tariff import restrictions through the issuance of AO 20.

In the AO, the Chief Executive likewise instructed the DA, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Finance to ease, among others, the procedures and requirements “in the licensing of importers, minimize processing time of application for importation and exempt licensed traders from submission of registration requirements.”

“This (AO 20) was pushed by the economic managers, particularly NEDA. The meaning of NEDA is now national importation and development authority or NIDA and not NEDA,” Montemayor said.

“In the case of sugar, there is a de facto import quota restriction where it needs the approval of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board. Second, on the fisheries, you cannot import unless there is a certificate of necessity to import from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR),” he pointed out.

According to Montemayor, AO 20 clashes with the Philippine Fisheries Code or Republic Act 8550 and Republic Act 10659 or Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015.

“In both cases, laws are being followed in the implementation of quantitative restrictions. The question is can an administrative order overrule the existing