The Bureau of Customs - Port of Cebu seized 42 containers of mature coconuts last Saturday, as there is an export ban on mature coconuts. The BOC said the seized coconuts were worth P232 million.
The BOC conducted a spot check after receiving derogatory information on the shipments, which had been declared as containing paper waste. The fate of the mature coconuts will be left to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), to whom the fruits will be turned over.
The BOC said the seizure of the illegal export was intended to protect domestic industries and Philippine farmers. In December 2019, amid calls to lift the ban to give local farmers better prices for their coconuts, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the PCA Governing Board agreed to keep the export ban on mature coconuts.
Source: sunstar.com.ph
