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The country’s largest pork producers group decried the low farm-gate prices, prompting them to launch a nationwide campaign, appealing to consumers to prefer local pork over imported.

Amid efforts to augment the supply of meat in the country, the Department of Agriculture (DA) responded favorably to the call of importers, composed of meat processors and traders, to temporarily extend the validity of their import permit for pork, chicken, and other meat products.
Through the recently signed Administrative Order (AO) 21, Agriculture Secretary William Dar ordered the extension of the validity of SPS Import Clearances (SPSICs) for imported meat from 60 days to 90 days. In the AO, Dar said “current global COVID situation and supply contraction of container vans have presented shipping and other logistical difficulties” and that such difficulties have prompted stakeholders to request for an extension of the validity of the SPSIC for imported food commodities, especially for imported meat. “Meat importation contributes to the overall food supply and security of the country,” Dar further said upon approving such a request. The temporary extension will be in effect until December 31, 2021. For the period of July to October, the country is anticipating the arrival of 140,000 metric tons (MT) of pork imported under the minimum access volume (MAV), which has a lower tariff rate. This is based on the guidelines released by DA on June 26, which divided the importation of an additional 200,000 MT of pork under MAV into two tranches. The remaining 60,000 MT or 30 percent may only enter the country from November throughout January 2022. This additional pork supply will be on top of the pork imports that have already entered the country so far for this year. From January to April, global pork exports to the Philippines already surged by 401 percent from 38,979 MT carcass weight equivalent (CWE) during the same period in 2020 to 195,300 MT, Trade Data Monitor shows. For this year, the majority of the Philippines’ pork imports came from European Union, Canada, United States, Brazil, and United Kingdom.

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The Department of Finance (DOF) expects the elevated rate of increase in food prices would peak this month due to rising volume of meat imports that boosted domestic supply.

Pork prices at select markets in Metro Manila have remained high despite the surge in imports recorded during the first half of 2020, prompting one of the country’s largest agriculture lobby groups to call out the Department of Agriculture (DA) anew for its pro-importation stance.

Philippines’ pork imports for this year are still seen to go higher at 425,000 metric tons (MT), even despite the already 401 percent surge in pork imports the country recorded from January to April of this year.

The Bureau of Customs registered a spike in pork imports following the government’s order lowering tariffs on swine meat shipments that aims to stabilize the domestic supply and prices, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

The Philippines is hoping to see the entry of as much as 140,000 metric tons (MT) of imported pork under the minimum access volume (MAV) as part of efforts to bring down meat prices in the country.

The rate of increase in consumer prices was steady for the third straight month in May, but remained above the Duterte administration’s target, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed on Friday, June 4.

Amid recent government decisions that aim to increase the importation of rice and pork, food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan has called for much-improved industry data gathering in the agriculture sector.

The current pork shortage in the country due to African Swine Fever (ASF) is feared to last until 2026, according to a meat traders’ group.  In text exchanges, Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) President Jess Cham said they are now considering of requesting the government to modify Executive Order 128 and extend the temporary reduction in pork import tariff. EO 128, however, has yet to take effect.

Now that the Philippines is under a state of calamity due to African Swine Fever (ASF), the Department of Agriculture (DA) is hoping to get more budget of at least P6 billion to boost efforts to fight the dreaded animal virus that already resulted in billions of losses to the local hog industry.

Malacañang has put the entire Philippines under a state of calamity amid the prevalence of African Swine Fever (ASF) nearly two months after the Senate proposed the move, a decision considered “a moral victory for local hog industry”.

The compromise between the Senate and the government’s economic team on pork is not expected to control the rising minimum access volume (MAV) pork imports, according to a top official of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will increase monitoring of pork imports coming into the country to prevent the entry of new African Swine Fever (ASF) variants that have started to cause problems in the hog sector of China, the world’s largest pork-producing country.

After weeks of disagreement on pork imports, the Senate and the President’s economic team, led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, decided to lower the import tariff cut proposed under Executive Order (EO) 128 and adjust the volume of pork imports allowed to enter the Philippines under minimum access volume (MAV).

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.