Instead of resorting to importation, Senator Imelda “Imee” Marcos said the government should source the country’s pork supplies from areas with no reported cases of African swine fever or ASF.
Marcos made the proposal as she rejected the government’s move to import pork products to augment the country’s pork supply.
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Bakit hindi simutin muna (local supply), bilhin muna yung mga baboy sa non-infected areas? Sa Visayas, Mindanao, GenSan (General Santos City), Cotabato…eh, may baboy naman diyan at walang sakit (Why don’t we buy all local supplies first, buy pork from non-infected areas? In Visayas, Mindanao, GenSan, Cotabato…there are available hogs there and they have no reported diseases),” Marcos said in a DZBB interview.
“Tulungan muna ‘yung mga farmers d’yan, mga hog raisers sa shipping costs, (Let’s help the farmers in these areas, our local hog raisers with the shipping costs),” said the senator, who chairs the Senate economic affairs committee.
The senator pointed out importation of pork products entails higher shipping costs.
Marcos also said there are additional charges in importing pork products such as ensuring the safety of the personnel involved in the transfer of goods, as well as on the equipment and materials used for importation.
“Kaya dapat tulungan talaga ng Department of Agriculture itong mga local, para hindi import ng import (That’s why the DA should help out the local hog raisers, and not just resort to importation),” she pointed out.
She also said local hog raisers are not objecting to proposals to import as long as the prices of imported pork are at a reasonable range.
“Huwag naman ibagsak ng sobra. Wala nang bibili talaga, talagang dapang-dapa na ang kanilang industriya (They shouldn’t drop the price too much. Otherwise, no one will buy from them anymore, their industry is already struggling),” she said.
Marcos also said the government should also ensure there is a restocking of hogs to sustain pork supply.
President Duterte has approved plans to study the proposals to jack up the country’s pork imports to boost domestic supply and the creation of a task force that would run after profiteers and unscrupulous traders who have hiked up the prices of hogs and pork. Duterte also earlier ordered the imposition of a price cap on pork and chicken for 60 days in Metro Manila, which will be implemented starting on Monday, Feb. 8.