Shipper of rice with foreign substance liable, says DA-6 exec
Department of Agriculture (DA) 6 regional director Larry Nacionales said the Vietnamese shipper of the 77,000 bags of rice from Vietnam should be held liable for the “undocumented shipment” of 52 bags of ammonium sulfate, earlier reported to be N-Methylpedrine, an ingredient in the manufacture of shabu.
The undocumented shipment was shipped by Vietnam Southern Food Corp. with address in Chu Manh Trinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam via MV Trai Thien 66 Vietnam which was unloaded at the Bredco Port 3 in Bacolod City last week.
Nacionales said the rice importation was made between the government of the Philippines and Vietnam. The rice importation underwent a bidding process in Vietnam. The contract is awarded to a bidder capable of supplying the requirements or the terms of reference under the rice importation program of the government.
He said the National Food Authority (NFA) in Bacolod is only the recipient of the imported rice. Nacionales believed the NFA personnel have done their part because of their vigilance that resulted to the discovery of the undocumented shipment.
The NFA-Bacolod was required to submit their report over the shipment of 52 bags of ammonium sulfate. The 52 bags of fertilizer is an added item in the list shipment and is separate from the number of required bags of imported rice intended for Bacolod, said Nacionales.
The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority is also mandated to submit its report regarding the shipment which was earlier alleged to be methyl ephedrine, a substance used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine Hydrochloride or shabu.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) came up with a finding that the shipment surreptitiously mixed with the sacks of rice is ammonium sulfate. The country’s drug agency took interest in the shipment after the NFA personnel themselves was puzzled on the inclusion of the “crystalline white substance” in the rice shipment.
The result of the laboratory analysis has caused doubts on the concealed substance.
Nacionales explained that the ammonium sulfate produced in China looks like “wash sugar” while the same kind of fertilizer produced in Japan is “crystal white.” The fertilizer which was discovered in the shipment looks like a white crystal. It is possible the fertilizer came from Japan because of its appearance.
The Bureau of Customs and other government agencies which have authority to probe the “questionable shipment” are doing their part. The ship as well as its crews are being held pending the conduct of the investigation, said Nacionales.
The Vietnamese vessel was skippered by Bul Van Chin.
The bureau will probably look on whether there was a misdeclaration of cargoes which is a violation of the Customs and Tariff Laws. All the reports including the laboratory analysis of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority will be furnished to DA Secretary Arthur Yap for action. The NFA is an attached agency of the agriculture department, said Nacionales.
