Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar admitted Monday, May 10 that the agency "can't please everyone" even as he noted the huge challenges that the local hog industry has faced as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the African Swine Flu (ASF) problem....
Despite a 12-month tariff cut imposed on pork, a group of local meat importers began lobbying for a much longer period wherein the pork import tariff rate is kept at 15 percent from the original 40 percent until 2025. A customer pays for pork at a roadside market stall in Mandaluyong City, Manila,...
The government’s failure to stop smuggled pork imports has put the country at more risk of contracting new variants of African Swine Fever (ASF) that began to cause further damage in China, the world’s largest pork-producing country....
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday, April 27, expressed belief that the government can maintain the tariff rates and adjust the minimum access volume (MAV) in the importation of pork to more reasonable levels. (MANILA BULLETIN File photo/Keith Bacongco) At the Senate Committee of the...
Amid the prevalence of African Swine Fever (ASF), state-run lender Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has doubled its credit commitment to the local swine industry from P15 billion to P30 billion. This, according to the bank, will help local pork producers and feed millers to repopulate and...
Meat prices continued to rise despite the recent 150 percent surge in pork import volume, casting doubt on the government’s recent move to bring down tariffs on imported pork. A customer pays for pork at a roadside market stall in Mandaluyong City, Manila, the Philippines. (Bloomberg file) “The...
It may have taken some time since the alleged kickback scheme in pork importation was exposed, but Agriculture Secretary William Dar is more certain now that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has nothing to do with this so-called tongpats scandal. During a recent senate hearing, Dar denied any...
The tariff cuts on imported pork under Executive Order 128 is expected to result in P14 billion loss in government revenue, according to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP). A customer pays for pork at a roadside market stall in Mandaluyong City, Manila, the Philippines, on Sunday, March 14,...
The validity of Executive Order (EO) 124, which imposed a price ceiling on pork and chicken in Metro Manila, will end this week, and the government and private sector have two completely different sentiments about its effectiveness. For one, Noel Reyes, the spokesperson of the Department of...
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) wrote to Tariff Commission Chairperson Marilou Mendoza to raise the tariff on HS 0203 meat of swine (fresh, chilled, or frozen) to 44 percent. The formal proposal was also forwarded to Senator Cynthia Villar, who also serves as chairperson of the senate...
It will soon be easier for local hog raisers who are insured at the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to claim insurance or indemnification after being hit by the dreaded African Swine Fever (ASF). Photo by MA Albert Estoya. This, after the PCIC Board of Directors approved the proposal...
In the third quarter of 2019, the Philippines confirmed its first case of African swine fever (ASF) in Rizal Province. More than a year later, over 400,000 hogs have been culled, thousands of barangays have been infected, and at least P56 billion in losses were declared in the local hog industry...
