Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has said the reduction of tariff rates on pork importation does not guarantee that pork prices would go down in the markets.
When the pork imports arrive, they are not unloaded at markets but at groceries and supermarkets, Recto pointed out.
During a Senate committee of the Whole public hearing Monday, April 12, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Reildrin Morales said the price of pork is P350 per kilo because of a 30-percent tariff.
This would go down to P295 per kilo when a 15-percent tariff is imposed, further down to P275 per kilo with a five-percent tariff.
Morales, however, supported Recto’s position that these price levels do not happen at wet markets.
During the hearing, Recto also asked the Department of Agriculture whether the price of imported pork might reach P500 per kilo.
DAR Secretary William Dar replied that hopefully, it would not and instead asked the cooperation of everybody since the supply of pork is "thin".
Dar said prices of pork would stabilize when the imported pork arrive in June.
Like other senators, Recto stressed that there is no need to reduce pork import tariffs along with the increase of minimum access volume (MAV) to 404,000 metric tons (MT) because government would lose revenues.
The former socioeconomic planning secretary also said the threat is greater in the death of the local hog industry due to importation.
President Duterte signed last April 7 the Executive Order No. 128, which reduces the 30-percent tariff on pork imports under the MAV to five percent, and the 40-percent tariff outside of the MAV to 15 percent.
Duterte also recommended the increase the current MAV by 350,000 MT, from the current 54,000 MT to 404,000 MT.