Importing Seeds

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Should I just mix them with the other stuff without declaring them?

NO!
The rule is there to stop bio-contamination so trying to smuggle them is as stupid as it is illegal. Stupidity isn't a crime, but smuggling is.

Fred wrote:

Enzyte Bob wrote:

Should I just mix them with the other stuff without declaring them?

NO!
The rule is there to stop bio-contamination so trying to smuggle them is as stupid as it is illegal. Stupidity isn't a crime, but smuggling is.

I have found no clear answer about importing seeds, I believe the bio-contamination is in regards to living plants. Definition of bio-contamination: "The presence in the environment of living organisms or agents derived by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and mammal and bird antigens that can cause many health effects".

I have written an email to: Bureau of  Plant Industry (Government Agency) asking about the legality of importing a small quantity of seeds for growing a specific strain of Tomato & Onion for personal use that is not available as produce in the Philippines. Growing them indoors using hydroponics.

I have received an email from them acknowledging the receipt of my email. If I get permission from them, I will email the shipper to include the emailed letter with the shipment.

.

I didn't want to go on this one but too late. Any seeds, nuts, raw foods, commercially unpackaged cooked foods, raw foods etc etc.
If the seeds come from a recognised seed bank and meet the particular countries bio criteria then all should be good with the correct paperwork supplied. A legitimate import.

While I hear what you are saying Bob imagine if I tried to bring a left handed ferret sexer into the US calling something else to conceal the fact that it was in fact a right handed ferret sexer that was perfectly legal.

A side note from experience, we for 20 years tried to grow beefsteak tomatoes for the flavour and size on our certified organic farm, all we ever got were egg sized nothings, we  were in QLD Australia which has a very similar climate to the Philippines,,,,,, in saying that our last property for 10 years we tried many varieties of Avocados ending with dead trees after many years of trying and lots of grafted dollars down the drain yet the prior property 1 kilometre away 6 varieties bore enough fruit to sell to the local markets. Yes we did all the soil tests as required for organic certification etc, If you get your seeds and they prosper I will be keen to purchase some of the progeny from your endeavours for sure. Wish you luck with the import.

Cheers, Steve.

bigpearl wrote:

If the seeds come from a recognised seed bank and meet the particular countries bio criteria then all should be good with the correct paperwork supplied. A legitimate import.

A side note from experience, we for 20 years tried to grow beefsteak tomatoes for the flavour and size on our certified organic farm, all we ever got were egg sized nothings, we  were in QLD Australia which has a very similar climate to the Philippines,,,,,,

If you get your seeds and they prosper I will be keen to purchase some of the progeny from your endeavours for sure. Wish you luck with the import.

Cheers, Steve.

<a couple snips>

I also tried to grow Beefsteak Tomatoes but in Las Vegas and was a complete failure. The plant was outdoors and grew a little more than two meters tall. Results: two small tomatoes about the size of an olive. The daily temperature reaches 46C or 115F with no shade, which was the cause of the failure.

So if I'm able to import the seeds (Burpee Seed Co., established in 1876) I will be growing them indoors under grow lights & soilless. I have had a lot of experience growing "stuff" indoors with hydroponics in my younger days. I had mother "stuff" in one room and all the "stuff" was grown from cloning (cuttings) of the mother plants and finished in another room. Mother "stuff" back then liked 1,000 watt metal halide light 24/7. While cloned "stuff" like maturing  in another room with more than 12 hours darkness under high pressure sodium lights. These lights were expensive, produced a lot of heat and big electric bills. Now all this can be done under cheap LED grow lights available here in the Philippines, also available is hydroponic supplies if anyone would like to grow veggies indoors. You can also use soil in flower pots instead of hydroponics for indoor growing of veggies. With indoor growing you can control the climate & sunshine for success not available outdoors. Tomatoes & Onions can also be cloned.

I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF GROWING "STUFF".  My post is intended for reading with your morning beverage. Growing "Stuff" is illegal and will get you a long stay in prison.

"Stuff" is a plant that is male & female, so the mother plants that have no fertilization produced bigger stickier ***'s trying to attract male pollen which never arrives, so they remained seedless. If you plant "stuff" seeds and early in development you see little yellow flowers, those plants should be destroyed.

Stuff likes to be fed the same fertilizer as Tomatoes. When growing "stuff", I met other "stuff" growers and we would exchanged cuttings. One cutting I had smelled like brewed coffee, it came from Afghanistan while the Russians were still fighting there. The importer of this "stuff" was shot at by both sides going through the Khyber Pass. Thai & Skunk were popular "stuff" back in the old days.

Now all that "stuff" is legal in many states. They even have drive thru windows.

Bigpearl, if I have success I'll be happy to give you seeds. I will also be growing Vidalia Onions, the mildness & sweetest onion. Some people say you can eat them like Apples, from time to time I was able to buy Vidalia Onions in the supermarket back in the states. In order to call a Vidalia Onion a Vidalia Onion (trade marked) and only grown in certain counties of Georgia, USA. Hybrids of Vidalia are marketed under the name of Yellow Granex from outside of Vidalia, GA. (Similar branding such as Tobasco Sauce).

Just had a peek on google

Seed imports are subject to restrictions - ❖DA Department Circular No. 4, Series of
2016?

Some seed imports are subject to a long time in prison ..... or perhaps a shortened life on the way to prison.

Bob, I know little to nothing about hydroponics and even less about "stuff".
I will say though if you can't import your seeds you can purchase beefsteak tomato seeds online, shopee and be legal, possibly other things you are looking for are available online too.

Cheers, Steve.

Fred wrote:

Just had a peek on google

Seed imports are subject to restrictions - ❖DA Department Circular No. 4, Series of
2016?

Yes with no recent restrictions available for vegetables I've contacted the Philippine Agency that controls this. (Bureau of Plant Industry)

The restriction of seeds seemed to be aimed at growing illegal substances, not including vegetables.

bigpearl wrote:

Bob, I know little to nothing about hydroponics and even less about "stuff".
I will say though if you can't import your seeds you can purchase beefsteak tomato seeds online, shopee and be legal, possibly other things you are looking for are available online too.

Cheers, Steve.

Yes, I've looked at Shopee & Lazada, they maybe an alternative. What has transpired I ordered Vidalia Onion seeds (difficult to find in stock) to be shipped to my re-mailer. Since the postage was almost as much as the seeds, as an after thought I added Beefsteak & Heirloom Tomato seeds to piggy back with the Onion seed order. If the Bureau of Plant Agency gives approval the seeds they will piggy back with my mail and about $160 USD of Hanes T-Shirts & Boxers via FedEx.

If the Bureau of Plant Agency turns me down, I will have the re-mailer send the seeds to my daughter in Arizona.

Good News,

This may be helpful to others that would like to import seeds.

The Bureau of Plant Agency: Tomato seeds and Onion seeds from the US are already allowed. Kindly submit the attached documents. (Documents ask location, growing material & general information.)

Hi ! French gardening addict here  !

it's not really allowed to import  "non commercial " seeds in PH. ... and some are prohibited,  no matter where you bought its from ....

the only workaround  is for "legal" ( i.e. veggies and flower  seeds),   if they are not issued from a shop  ...is  to bring them  in your luggage , I did it with many variants of tomatoes and chillies ,  I even brought with me  a dozen of "bintje" potatoes from  Netherlands .... and many other different small seed bags ... there are very few chances your luggage would inspected on arrival ... if you are a frequent traveller just bring what you need on every trip ....

This said  your neighbourhood might no be happy  (jealousy really sucks ) seing you planting  veggies not normally available in  PH   and... well  if you are really unlucky some would complain at  local barangay , which might end forcing  you to remove your plants  (I had to  with Italian variant of giant eggplants  and famous "coeur de boeuf"  French Tomatoes) ...

Just be careful mate and happy gardening ... if one of your friends has a farm better try your gardening experiences on their land... better than on your own ,  even if it would  make you share what you will harvest ... Stay safe and healthy , always  !

Don't ever try to grow pot in PH , this might drive you to unpleasant  stay in a local jail .... just a reminder ....

Sorry. for my poor English ... ingat !

Edit :

what you can buy from Lazada shop and others here   are sometimes " ionised " seeds .... or gmo s ... or 100 % hybrids ...  90%  are imported  from US ...seeds  won't just work  I experienced it ... waste of money time and energy ... and if ever it works you won't be able  to reuse seeds  .... there are little to no organic certified  seeds available  in PH except  local cocoa in Mindanao ... and seeds from US "certified" organics are NOT ....  here even if you can read in on packages ....

50+. years experience in gardening  (not hydroponics)  including 25 plus  years in PH....

murakami06 wrote:

Hi ! French gardening addict here  !

it's not allowed to import  "non commercial " seeds in PH. ... and some are prohibited,  no matter where you bought its from ....

This said  your neighbourhood might no be happy  (jealousy really sucks ) seing you planting  veggies not normally available in  PH   and... well  if you are really unlucky some would complain at  local barangay ,

what you can buy from Lazada shop and others here 

and if ever it works you won't be able  to reuse seeds  .... there are little to no organic certified  seeds... ad those from US "certified" organics are NOT ....  here even if you can read in on packages ....
50+. years experience in gardening  (not hydroponics)  including 25 plus  years in PH

Hi French Gardener,

The seeds that I have purchased are from Burpee, they have been in business since "1876". I won't have to worry about neighbors since the garden (misnomer to call my endeavor a garden) is indoors.

I plan on growing in two 10 gallon pots, one plant, one pot. One with Beefsteak tomatoes and the other with Heirloom tomatoes. Also about a dozen Vidalia Onions (the real deal, not hybrids) in some sort of trays. All for personal use on my  "Cheeseburgers" and "Subs, Hoagies, Heroes, Grinders or Bombers", take your pick of the name from your area.

I won't have to worry about neighbor complaints, I'm in a Metro area so no outdoor garden, only indoors using commercial grow lights (Leds).

As far as seeds concern, I won't need seeds for future plantings from this crop, Tomato & Onion cuttings/clone are easy.

I think I will be successful because I will be able to control the environment: growing medium, temperature & sunlight.

Enzyte Bob wrote:

murakami06 wrote:

Hi ! French gardening addict here  !

it's not allowed to import  "non commercial " seeds in PH. ... and some are prohibited,  no matter where you bought its from ....

This said  your neighbourhood might no be happy  (jealousy really sucks ) seing you planting  veggies not normally available in  PH   and... well  if you are really unlucky some would complain at  local barangay ,

what you can buy from Lazada shop and others here 

and if ever it works you won't be able  to reuse seeds  .... there are little to no organic certified  seeds... ad those from US "certified" organics are NOT ....  here even if you can read in on packages ....
50+. years experience in gardening  (not hydroponics)  including 25 plus  years in PH

Hi French Gardener,

The seeds that I have purchased are from Burpee, they have been in business since "1876". I won't have to worry about neighbors since the garden (misnomer to call my endeavor a garden) is indoors.

I plan on growing in two 10 gallon pots, one plant, one pot. One with Beefsteak tomatoes and the other with Heirloom tomatoes. Also about a dozen Vidalia Onions (the real deal, not hybrids) in some sort of trays. All for personal use on my  "Cheeseburgers" and "Subs, Hoagies, Heroes, Grinders or Bombers", take your pick of the name from your area.

I won't have to worry about neighbor complaints, I'm in a Metro area so no outdoor garden, only indoors using commercial grow lights (Leds).

As far as seeds concern, I won't need seeds for future plantings from this crop, Tomato & Onion cuttings/clone are easy.

I think I will be successful because I will be able to control the environment: growing medium, temperature & sunlight.

Cool man!  that's interesting , I never tried to grow anything indoors , I would certainly give it a try  if only I knew "how to"  ... I was  educated on gardening by very old school men  my 2   grand pas.... Is there  a link you would recommend to start  as a real newbie on this  ?Not for  commercial use just for me to learn ? thanks !

murakami06 wrote:

Hi ! French gardening addict here  !

Cool man!  that's interesting , I never tried to grow anything indoors , I would certainly give it a try  if only I knew "how to"  ... I was  educated on gardening by very old school men  my 2   grand pas.... Is there  a link you would recommend to start  as a real newbie on this  ?Not for  commercial use just for me to learn ? thanks !

Hello Murakami06, I'm sure your experience far exceeds mine and can apply to indoor  successful growing.

My plans have changed since my first posting as I want to keep it simpler and cheaper. I will be growing indoors but not hydroponics.

(1) In hydroponics generally your growing medium is not soil but rockwool, small river rock or similar, these things are expensive in the Philippines especially when using 10 gallon buckets.

(2) All nutrients are liquid mixed in with the water, if done right includes a holding tank, water pump, timer, ph meter, drip tubing and a return method of excess water to your holding tank.

So a simpler and cheaper way is 10 gallon grow bags instead of 10 gallon buckets. Soil will be a cheaper medium than rockwool or river rocks. Also watering by hand, the old fashion way.

My only experienced in growing  anything was "stuff" hahahaha, so growing tomatoes and onions are new to me and I've watched hours & hours of videos on youtube. I've learned a lot and if youtube was available in 1985 when I was growing "stuff", I wouldn't have been such a bungler.

Many things cannot successfully be grown outdoors in the Philippines, as I learned through my failures living in a hot climate (Las Vegas, Nevada).

So having control of the environment: growing medium, temperature & sunlight. This can all be done easily indoors with a small garden.

The most expensive part is the LED Grow Lights which are available on Shopee , Lazada or maybe in some specialty garden stores. They are available for less than $100 USD maybe far less. They produce an equivalent to 1,000 watts cold light in the proper spectrum.

With indoor lighting you can have artificial sunshine 12/14 hours a day, everyday.

Seeds can be germinated inside soaked paper towels, once germinated they can be transplanted to a plastic cup with growing medium. After that it can be transplanted to grow bags or buckets.

With your experience in gardening you should do very well, in fact better than me.

I would like to follow up on this po. From Canada to Philippines, can I bring some flowering seeds/bulbs? My mom really loves to plant and I am wondering po if I can buy some seeds here in Canada and bring with me in the Philippines.

I would like to follow up on this po. From Canada to Philippines, can I bring some flowering seeds/bulbs? My mom really loves to plant and I am wondering po if I can buy some seeds here in Canada and bring with me in the Philippines.

I would like to follow up on this po. From Canada to Philippines, can I bring some flowering seeds/bulbs? My mom really loves to plant and I am wondering po if I can buy some seeds here in Canada and bring with me in the Philippines.
-@Akquarius

NO

To legally import seeds only the brave and and a patient soul who refuses to give up going through endless red tape and wherewithal of purpose.

Process:

(1) Letter of Intent to Director George Y Culaste, Attn: Joan-May Tolentino, OIC-Chief, NPQSD.

(2) BPI Application Form No. 01

(3) Sketch Map (Final Destination)

(4) Brgy Clearance/Business Permit

(5) Xerox Copy of One Valid I.D.

(6) Promissory letter for inspection of planting site for plants and planting material.

(7)  Picture of final destination/planting site (for plants and planting materials)

(8) Receipt of payments for permit.

Documents will not be accepted if incomplete. All this paperwork must be done prior to entry with the appropriate license.

(1) You are not finished yet, you have to pass clearance of customs and the drug enforcement.

(2) Department of Finance of Finance, Bureau of customs Gate Pass

That's the legal process, others have used non legal methods: Having unopened commercial packets of seeds in their luggage without declaration. If detected some customs don't know the rules and nothing happens. If you use this method don't bring bulbs.

Make a list of the seeds you want to bring in, then check popular sites in the Philippines, maybe the seeds you want can be purchased locally.

Good luck Po

I've never gone through customs arriving in the Philippines, either Manila or Cebu, so even if you are checked like the few times when returning to Australia they never asked me to check my pockets. So if you have a non commercial quantity to fit in your pocket as a gift if you are asked I see very little risk if any.

https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product … ed-imports

Restricted

Plants, planting materials, and plant products

Permits from:

Department of Agriculture (DA) – Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)

Hardly a shock as it only takes one twit with a stupid idea to cause massive problems.

Like cane toads introduced to Australia to control the cane beetle, stupid is as stupid does.

Cheers, Steve.

@Enzyte Bob i would like a friend in the Uk to send ne a pachet of Mustard and Cress seeds to gorw on indoors for eating. Is this permitted

@Enzyte Bob i would like a friend in the Uk to send ne a pachet of Mustard and Cress seeds to gorw on indoors for eating. Is this permitted
-@geapind75

I would really like to grow mustard and cress as well.

Shopee or Lazada, available and no Quarantine crap, google can be your best friend.

Cheers. Steve.

@bigpearl Thanks mate

Welcome to the forum geapind75.

cheers, Steve.

@Enzyte Bob i would like a friend in the Uk to send ne a pachet of Mustard and Cress seeds to gorw on indoors for eating. Is this permitted
-@geapind75

******************************************

I would really like to grow mustard and cress as well.

-@FindlayMacD

*******************************************

Importing seeds or plants directly is not allowed. Really tons of red tape and paperwork, see my post #18.

But, if you use a re-mailer, this is what I did (not endorsing this) buy the seeds and have them sent to a third party, then in a plain envelop have them sent to your re-mailer looking like a letter from them.

My re-mailer put the that letter in a FedEx flat mixed with my other mail.

Expensive but worthwhile for me.

@Enzyte Bob Nothing is simple anymore haha. Lazada and Shopee drew a blank i give  up!

@Enzyte Bob Nothing is simple anymore haha. Lazada and Shopee drew a blank i give up!
-@geapind75

***************************************

Check again on Shopee. . . .Mustard seeds for planting.

@Enzyte Bob There is some confusion here. Mustard and cress seeds are NOT mustard seeds.

@Enzyte Bob I took many seeds to the Philippines, never had a problem. I could not make them to grow, it was all to hot and humid. I tried potatoes to. Than at one point i was dishearted and gave all i had to an older filipina, after a few weeks she called me to come and have a look see. It all grew? I still have no idea what i did wrong but i was happy for her. What i also did i took home to Switserland little calemansi trees, noboddy stopped me from doing so either. i planted one outside but it got killed by the winter. One i kept inside, it survived but never beared fruit. Special place the Philippines to make things grow, i did not got the hang of it. But at the customs they never looked at it at all. just dont put it in your hand luguage.

@Enzyte Bob There is some confusion here. Mustard and cress seeds are NOT mustard seeds.
-@geapind75

Confusion? you said you would like to grow Mustard and Cress.

My first search on Shopee found: Mustard seeds known here as Mustasa.

https://tinyurl.com/33chyu3f

Cheers, Steve.

lvo sonnenberg said. . . . I took many seeds to the Philippines, never had a problem. I could not make them to grow, it was all to hot and humid. I tried potatoes to. Than at one point i was dishearted and gave all i had to an older filipina, after a few weeks she called me to come and have a look see. It all grew? I still have no idea what i did wrong but i was happy for her. What i also did i took home to Switserland little calemansi trees, noboddy stopped me from doing so either. i planted one outside but it got killed by the winter. One i kept inside, it survived but never beared fruit. Special place the Philippines to make things grow, i did not got the hang of it. But at the customs they never looked at it at all. just dont put it in your hand luguage.

*********************************************

The reason you never had a problem is because customs was unaware of what you were doing by not declaring the seeds. It's a long strenuous process to import seeds or plants legally into the Philippines.

I never had any success growing tomatoes or onions. In my case it was not hot & humid. I used professional indoor grow tents and lights. I think the problem for me was fertilization of the plants flowers, No Bees.

I used a sonic toothbrush shaking the pollen onto the pistil of the flower, still no luck. A complete failure, expensive failure and timely failure.

I'm surprised Ivo got away with plant material, (seeds) and a Calamansi tree through customs both ways  as they all have pretty good screening facilities for organic materials, aside it's illegal and one could receive a fine or locked up depending on the product if not declared.

Bringing undeclared seeds to a foreign country could destroy many industries and bio diversity. One can buy most here and not threaten the country and as Ivo found out some things grow in one country but not necessarily another, research.

Cheers, Steve.

Not advising the smuggling of seeds, but balikbayan boxes almost never get opened. Plants developed for certain zones might struggle in different ones, or zones that are not similar.

For outside growing, some areas are going to need a bit of light limiting shading, such as the netting that is used overhead. For others, long time heat might be the issue, but maybe can be dealt with by living in a cooler area, such as higher elevation.

A friend of mine, who has since passed away, lived in Mindanao, in Bukidnon, and grew almost everything he had sent to him. I know that he did use the above-referenced netting for leafy veggies,  planted others in areas where the treeline offered shading for part of the day, and also used "tight planting" ideas where tall leafy plants offered shading too. I know he moved plant areas around, rototilled under as much old plants as possible, used both mulch and fertilizer, and gave away much of what he grew to local poor families. I wish I could still get all the details from him.

@Enzyte Bob

I should caution you that while seeds can be purchased on Lazada and Shopee, care needs to be taken when ordering from these platforms. While they do sell and ship seeds, there is a lot of potential for encountering counterfeit items or unreliable sellers. Dealers may end up sending random seeds that don't match the listing. And even if the correct seeds are shipped, there is no guarantee they will successfully grow.

My advice would be to look for sellers located in LazMall or Shopee Mall, which implements more verification of merchants. Also, take the time to thoroughly read reviews from other buyers to get a sense of a seller's reliability before purchasing seeds. Buying from a reputable source will help ensure you receive legitimate seeds that have a higher likelihood of growing as intended.

Hello everyone,

Speaking of seeds, are we allowed to import vegetable seeds from Canada? 

Cheers Real

RealMarchandsaid . . . .Hello everyone,
Speaking of seeds, are we allowed to import vegetable seeds from Canada? 

*****************************************

No, not leagally, unless you comply with the paperwork.

Read my post #18

@Enzyte Bob

Tks Bob it confirm my tought 🤟