(Eagle News) — More than 100 sacks of smuggled “Chinese rice” were confiscated by the combined forces of the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in a raid in Binondo, Manila on Tuesday.
According to NFA officials, they have not yet issued any import permit for rice from China.
The seized rice from China was allegedly being sold by Binondo traders from P60 to P90 per kilo.
The smuggled rice from China seized by the NFA and BOC did not pass any inspection, and did not have any import permits.
Customs officials said they are aware of reports about “fake” or contaminated rice entering the country, which is why they are on the alert for illegal rice shipments being brought to the country.
They said that it was also possible that the illegal rice shipments were passed off as a different cargo upon entering the country, and had been intentionally misdeclared by their importers.
