INQUIRER FILES
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) has unveiled a P2-million quarantine office in Zambales province to enhance its efforts to address risks caused by plant pests and diseases.
The new office of the BPI’s National Plant Quarantine Services Division situated in the Subic Freeport Zone is expected to enhance the effectiveness of border control measures and improve the country’s capacity to manage agricultural risks.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said the new facility, albeit modest in size, was “strategically located” in the province’s freeport zone, a burgeoning trade and logistics hub.
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“The establishment of this new office holds significant importance due to its position as a prominent center for trade and logistics,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said during the inauguration held Tuesday.
BPI Director Gerard Glenn Panganiban said this office facilitates the quarantine process and hastens trading activity while ensuring biosecurity of incoming commodities through the freeport.
Tiu Laurel said the introduction of pests and diseases can have severe economic repercussions.
“The new quarantine office is expected to play a crucial role in safeguarding the country’s agricultural resources and ensuring a stable and secure food supply for future generations,” the DA said.
Eduardo Jose Alino, chair and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, said the new BPI office would ensure that trading partners comply with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements in sourcing imported agricultural products.