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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Meat importers support retention of current tariffs on deboned meat

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A group of meat importers expressed support to the petition of meat processors to retain the current tariff rate on mechanically deboned meat amid the rising inflation rate.

The Meat Importers and Traders Association said meat processors presented legitimate arguments in asking for the retention of the current tariff on MDM imports at 5 percent.

“At this time when the country is facing severe food inflation such that government is contemplating reducing import duties on meat, maintaining the existing tariffs on MDM and turkey items would be the logical thing to do,” said Mita president Jesus Cham.

A position paper submitted Thursday before the Tariff Commission claimed that despite its form, MDM has nutritional values that can be easily validated in the laboratories, kitchens and dining tables, timing and apt supplement for meat and meat products.

MDM has become a very important raw material for both large and small processors, the paper said.

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Industry estimates showed that independent meat processors or those who are not members of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. use about  30 percent to 35 percent of the total MDM imports, producing low-cost food items such as siomai, lumpia shanghai, and longanisa and servicing mainly the lower economic classes.

Meat importers alleged that any increase on the cost on MDM would impact consumption and nutrition. MDM and turkey items are not in direct competition with any locally produced products, the group claimed.

MDM imports hit 248 million metric tons at an average landed cost of $0.56 to $0.95 per kilo in 2017.

A higher tariff rate on these items would result in less imports and higher production cost for processed meat and canned meat products, said Cham.

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