US vegetables may be sold in PHL after tests

Temperate vegetables from the US will likely be available in the Philippines as soon as Manila finds the commodities risk-free to consumers and domestic flora. A Bureau of Plant Industry review of "pest risk analysis" (PRA) on celery, cabbage, lettuce, and carrots from the US will be completed by March and April, director Clarito Baron of the bureau said in an interview this weekend. PRA is a trade protocol used by a country to prove that its people and agriculture will not be harmed by pests in imported commodities. Baron said the Philippines is interested in finding out how the US government controls pests and diseases in temperate vegetables. — JE/VS, GMAnews.TV