Opposition Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan on Friday, January 14 called for a review on the tariff of pig feeds to lower pork prices to the levels of those in Thailand and Vietnam as the price of pork continues to spike.
Pangilinan said that on average, the retail price of pork in Vietnam is P125 per kilo; P159 in Thailand; and P205 in China while it is P276 in the Philippines.
On chicken, Thailand has the lowest at P76 per kilo, followed by Vietnam at P125 and China at P162 while the Philippine price is P180.
“Kaya rin nating pababain ang presyo ng mga pagkain dahil nagawa na natin yan noon bilang Presidential Adviser on Food Security, specifically sa presyo ng bigas (We can reduce food prices as we had done during my time as Presidential Adviser on Food Security {during the PNoy administration}, specifically on rice). Kailangan lang tutukan pareho ang production side at ang importation ng pagkain. Kailangan din walang smuggling (There is a need to focus on production side and food importation. There should be no smuggling), ” he added.
Pangilinan said high food prices results in hunger. He said lowering food prices would lower hunger incidence rates in the country.
“Yan ang dahilan kung bakit ginugutom ang marami sa ating kapwa Pilipino (That îs the reason why many of our countrymen are going hungry). Kaya nating pababain ang presyo ng pagkain (We have the ability to reduce the prices of food),” said the vice-presidential aspirant.
` Pangilinan made the statement following Thursday’s Senate hearing, where Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Karlo Adriano said Filipinos are paying more than double for pork compared to Thailand and 73 percent more compared to Vietnam.
He said the same dilemma is also apparent in poultry, where Filipinos pay more than double for chicken compared to Thailand, and around 44 percent compared to Vietnam.
At the same hearing, the DA attributed the high cost of pork to the high cost of producing corn, which is used to create pig feeds.
“Clearly, the biggest portion of producing our livestock is feeds. Ang biro nga ma’am, huwag kang magtayo ng babuyan, pumasok ka na lang sa negosyo ng feeds dahil doon ka kikita (It is better to put feed mills and make a killing rather than on hog raising),’’ Pangilinan said.
Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, said that there should be an alternative to corn like the ones that Thailand uses.
“I am so impressed when I went to Thailand because they grow their own high-protein vegetables for their feeds. If we have a substitute for corn, . But it’s alright if we can afford to buy corn, but to those farmers who are so poor, maybe our farmers can have an alternative, so we can still grow without being dependent on corn,” Villar said.
Apart from high production cost, Adriano said that the high cost of pork is a result of unorganized and backward small-scale operation, as well as fragmented government support structure.
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