MANILA - The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has sent the Department of Agriculture a list of importers who have yet to claim their rice shipments at the Manila South Harbor (MSH) and Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). 

The PPA said it is now also monitoring pork, chicken and onion imports after earlier warning that some rice importers had been deliberately holding stocks at the ports purportedly to wait until prices had gone up.

The agency said PPA General Manager Jay Santiago informed DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel about the rice importation inventory as of Sept. 30  for both MSH and MICT. 

"The report includes shipments with Bureau of Customs (BOC) clearance and those that have surpassed the 30-day dwell time," the PPA said. 

A total of 819 TEUs [shipping containers or twenty-foot equivalent units] remain at the MSH and MICT, with 40 TEUs exceeding 30 days at MICT. It also noted that at MSH, a certain rice shipment remains unclaimed despite being cleared by the Bureau of Customs, with dwell time reaching 287 days.

Santiago said the PPA has no jurisdiction over the consignees, as its mandate is strictly focused on port management.

“We believe that having this information on a regular basis will help both PPA and DA identify trends, address any challenges promptly, and improve overall service delivery,” said GM Santiago.

To prepare for the expected demand increase during the Christmas season, the PPA has also intensified its monitoring of pork, chicken, and onion inventories. The agency provided the DA with a detailed inventory of these shipments at MSH and MICT as of September 30.

The PPA said that as of September 30, 2024, there are 135 containers of pork shipments, 101 containers of chicken, and 24 containers of onions at the ports. The PPA reported that 21 containers of pork have remained at the port for over 30 days, despite BOC clearance, with five containers exceeding 1,000 days in dwell time.

"For chicken shipments, 22 containers cleared by the BOC are still at the port, with 12 of them surpassing 600 days in dwell time. Meanwhile, four onion containers have not yet received OLRS (On-Line Release System) clearance, which refers to the electronic release instructions for import shipment generated by the BOC’s electronic to mobile system," the agency said. 

Santiago said the timely removal of these cargoes from the port is vital for ensuring food safety and maintaining product quality.

The PPA earlier denied that port congestion was a factor behind the slow release of imported rice into the market, which in turn was keeping prices high. It showed instead that hundreds of containers of imported rice remained unclaimed in its ports. The DA meanwhile has warned that charges may be filed against rice importers who are not claiming their shipments in ports. 

The government has said that reducing the import tariffs on rice would lead to lower retail prices of the staple. Farmers' groups however have said that only importers have been benefitting from reduced tariffs, as rice prices have remained high.