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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Villar demands DA explain tack against hog raisers

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Senator Cynthia Villar on Monday demanded an explanation from the Department of Agriculture its decision to import pork to the disadvantage of local hog raisers.

“I just want the DA to explain to me their decision-making process which I think is in favor of the importers and not in favor of our poor backyard hog raisers,” Villar said.

She said she wanted to be clarified on the project of the DA to import 388,000 metric tons of meat.

“They did not tell me here that offal was included here with a tariff of 5%-10% already,” said Villar, adding the DA should be guided by figures of the past in the importation.

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“If you feel differently you decide on what will be good for the local hog raisers of which 65% are backyard hog raisers who are poor farmers,” she said.

With regards to our consumers, Villar said the low tariff of pork-70% of imported hog meat, was 5%-10% tariff for a long time.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, Villar said that for the last 10 years, she had been studying the hog meat importation submitted by the Bureau of Customs.

She said it would appear the highest importation of hog meat was in 2018 at 392,000. In 2019 the importation was 325,000 and in 2020 it was 256,000.

“Showing the attached information of pork in 2018-2020 only, the following are imported under the Maximum Access Volume or outside MAV with 30% to 40% percent tariff in 2018, 120,000 which is 30.8% of the total importation,” she said

In 2019, she said, the MAV was 96,000 or 28% of the total importation and in 2020 it was 92,000, which was 35.9% of the total importation. The rest were imported Offal which was 5%-10%.

In 2018, she said, the offal imported was 271,000 metric tons. In 2019 it was 239,000 metric tons and in 2020 it was 163,000 metric tons.

“There is no need to reduce tariff because the majority of the imports are offal with 5%-10% tariff,” she said.

She also said no need to increase the MAV because the good meat under MAV and outside MAV, which was only around 30% to 40% tariff, is only 30% ng sinasabi nilang short ng local production.”

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