Globalization has allowed 14 importers led by Rustan's Supermarket to bring in 266 tons of "semi-temperate" vegetables in the first nine months of the year, causing huge losses to farmers in the Cordillera and other areas who produce the same crops.

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor said 93 percent of the imported vegetables, known locally as "Baguio vegetables", came from Australia, which has a  brewing agricultural trade dispute with the Philippines.  The rest came from the United States.

The vegetables include broccoli, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, potato and mushroom.

"In the spirit of transparency, we are disclosing to the public the list of some 14 importers to so that our local farmers and consumers can be guided on what to do," Montemayor said.

Besides Rustan's, the other importers are Leysan Commercial, Santag Commodities, Australasia Food and Beverage Corp., and Wendenberg International. The Asian Development Bank Commissary, Philippine Airlines, Tuckerbag Inc., Australian Prime, Macro Asia Eurest, Pacific Alliance, Blue Dairy Corp., AFPC Property Ltd., and Mount Zion Express.

The importers brought in at least 37 kinds of vegetables that directly compete with local produce, according to Montemayor.

"We cannot discourage importation, but importing companies should be reminded of their corporate social responsibility and should engage in patronizing local produce because the goods they buy abroad are being produced in the country in sufficient quantity," the agriculture secretary said.

Bureau of Plant Industry records showed that Rustan's, which is also known to be engaged in chicken and meat import business, brought in 4.98 tons of carrot in the first nine months, or 82 percent of the total registered carrot imports this year.

The supermarket imported 1.34 tons of potato (74 percent of the total); 1.14 tons of leek (42 percent); 2.18 tons of cabbage (45 percent); 1.04 tons of mushroom (52 percent); and, 2.7 tons of cauliflower (22 percent), among other vegetables.

In the rice sector, militant farmers denounced government importation of the cereal and demanded a 100-percent increase in the farmgate price of palay (unhusked rice) from P7.50 to P15 a kilo.

The Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said the Macapagal administration's policy of trade liberalization, importation and rampant rice smuggling were the "main culprits" in the steep drop of the prices of palay.

"President Macapagal-Arroyo is the biggest 'rice smuggler' in the country.  She has legalized rice smuggling in the name of rice importation and liberalization'" said AMGL chair Rod Flores.  "The flooding of imported rice in our local market is the main reason prices of palay have dropped."

During the harvest season in October-December last year, some farmers were forced to sell palay to traders for as low as P5 per kilo.

A total of 800,000 metric tons of rice will arrive in the first quarter of 2003, according to National Food Authority.  This year's rice imports from Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and India are pegged at 1.14 million metric tons.

Flores said there was no urgent need to import rice because local production was enough to meet demand.  He said a one-hectare farm could produce an average yield of 3 metric tons (MT) of palay and at least 1.8MT of rice.

"What the government must do is to immediately stop rice importation, land use conversion and focus on subsidizing local agriculture and increase its local procurement of palay," he said.


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