Buy local garlic to end smuggling, revive industry

MANILA, Philippines - The National Garlic Action Team (NGAT), an organization of garlic growers, is appealing to  consumers to patronize locally-produced garlic to prevent smugglers and cartels from controlling the local market and eventually “killing” the local garlic industry.

George Calaycay, head of the Onion-Garlic Farmers of Ilocos Norte (OGFIN) and acting spokesperson for NGAT, also cautioned lawmakers and government regulators against falling into the scheme of big-time smugglers and cartels who want the blame on the scarcity and high prices of garlic pinned on local farmers.

“Big-time smugglers and cartels are working to put small garlic growers out of business so the country will go back to relying on imported garlic that they smuggle, hoard and sell at very high prices in the market,” said Calaycay, speaking in behalf of millions of farmers and their families who depend on  growing and selling garlic in the country.

“Big-time smugglers don’t care about the local garlic industry because they simply import and sell garlic,” added Calaycay as he denied reports that NGAT member-cooperatives are behind the smuggling, hoarding and scarcity of garlic.

Calaycay lamented the fact that NGAT members, and not smuggling cartels are now facing investigation from the  Senate,  House of Representatives, the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Apart from Calaycay’s OGFIN group, NGAT is composed of garlic farming cooperatives headed by June Nunez of the Magtutumana Ng Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Cooperative; Paul Jonathan Manalo of the  Ilocos Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMPC); Orestes Salon of the  Kooperatiba Ng Bayang Sagana (KBS); Prudencio Ruedas of  Magsaysay Allium Growers MPC (MAGRO); Gaudioso Bartolome of the  Kapisanan ng mga Samahang Magsisibuyas ng Nueva Ecija (KASAMNE); Fe Amor Ilagan of the National Onion Growers Cooperative Marketing Association (NOGROCOMA) and Magtanggol Alvarez of Union of Growers and Traders of Onions in Nueva Ecija (UGAT).

“If senators and congressmen are serious in ending smuggling, hoarding and price manipulation of garlic, then they should help strengthen the garlic industry by asking people to buy our native ‘bawang’ which tastes as good as the imported ones,” Calaycay said.

He added, “buying the local garlic variety coupled with government protection against unscrupulous traders would be the best way to fight smuggling.”

Meanwhile, Paul Jonathan  Manalo, president of the NGAT-member Ilocos Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMPC), lauded Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala for his decision to give garlic growing cooperatives NGAT 60 percent of the garlic import allocation to help the garlic industry grow.

“That crucial decision helped save the garlic industry from total collapse. But that decision also made us and Alcala the target of attacks by garlic traders and smuggling cartels who want to regain the total control of garlic importation that brought down the garlic industry,” Manalo said.

Manalo also lauded Alcala for working with the Vegetable, Importers, Exporter, and Vendors Association of the Philippines (VIEVA), a national agriculture organization helping small farmers improve their farming and the sale of their produce, in an effort bring back life to the garlic industry.

“Rather than persecute farmers and cooperatives such as VIEVA, they should be given assistance for helping resuscitate the local garlic industry through its various funding and technology transfer programs that brought back the industry to life two years ago with the help of  Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala,” Calaycay added.

Manalo said VIEVA has also been aiding farmers in Mindoro, Batanes and the Ilocos provinces to increase their garlic and onion output as they have a ready market in VIEVA which is working to link farmers directly with garlic buyers and consumers.

“In coordination with the Department of Agriculture, VIEVA has been sending farm technicians to various garlic producing regions in the country to teach organic farming,” Manalo said.

Aside from bigger import allocation, Alcala also stressed the need to conduct training programs for farmers on the procedures and mechanics of Good Agricultural Practices to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and technologies on garlic production which would not only increase and improve their production, but also to reduce their cost of production.