Philippines requires RFID tags for agricultural imports

2021.12.01

The Philippines will start the electronic tagging of imported agricultural products as the government wants to establish a traceability system that will prevent smuggling and ensure food safety.

Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar issued memorandum order (MO) 71 which mandated the establishment of a traceability system for agricultural imports by requiring the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

Dar said the department-wide adoption of a track and trace system will improve the country’s food safety measures by ensuring the traceability of imported farm products amid the Covid-19 pandemic, spread of African swine fever and emergence of other zoogenic diseases.

“The objective of adopting a track and trace system is to ensure food safety of imported agricultural produce by ensuring the traceability of their origin,” the memo read.

“It also aims at the mitigation of smuggling of agricultural produce and the real-time monitoring system of goods.”

The new traceability system will be implemented across all imported commodities but the government will pilot the scheme in the rice sector, according to the MO.

“For purposes of the application or adaptation of the track and trace system using RFID and similar system, the importance of rice shall be considered as the initial agricultural produce for its application,” Dar said.

Dar’s order, which took effect immediately, mandates regulatory agencies of the DA involved in farm imports to coordinate with other government agencies, such as the Bureau of Customs, to establish their respective track and trace system using RFIDs or a similar system.

Read more here.

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