DA: Destroy spoiled onions from China

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday that it recommended the destruction of 650 metric tons (MT) of abandoned imported red onions from China over potential health risks.

The onions, worth P86.7 million, found inside 26 twenty-foot containers at the Manila International Container Port are undergoing laboratory tests for confirmation.

These were discovered during a joint inspection conducted by the DA along with the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Plant Industry, and Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, who serves as the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.

Inspectors revealed extensive spoilage of onions as they found leaking containers, mold, and widespread sprouting after months of storage following its arrival to the country between December 2025 and January 2026.

The abandoned onion shipment was never claimed by its importer, M2000 IMEX Company, Inc., despite securing the necessary import permits.

Assistant Agriculture Secretary for Inspectorate and Enforcement and Legal Service Willie Ann M. Angsiy said that visual inspections of the onions show that they are no longer safe for human consumption and must be disposed immediately.

“We cannot risk public health by allowing spoiled agricultural products to enter the market,” Ms. Angsiy said in a statement issued by the DA.

Authorities are coordinating for the proper disposal of abandoned onions after the BoC seized the shipment under Section 1129 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza