Following a compromise reached by economic managers and the Senate last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the final tariff rates on pork will be out soon, via an amendment to Executive Order 128.
Dar said those rates will be the basis of new suggested retail prices (SRPs) on pork.
In a virtual briefing yesterday, Dar said under the agreement with the Senate, pork imports within the minimum access volume (MAV) quota will be 10 percent in the first three months from the current 30 percent and go up to 15 percent after nine months, while the tariff rates on out-of-quota pork imports are lowered to 20 percent from current 40 percent in the first three months and raised to 25 percent after nine months.
Under the original EO 128, the MAV in-quota tariff was supposed to be lowered to 5 percent in the first three months and go up to 10 percent after nine months and revert back to 30 percent after a year, while the out-of-quota tariff on pork imports are lowered to 15 percent in the first three months and raised to 20 percent after nine months, and revert back to 40 percent after the 12th month.
Dar said even with the recent measures encouraging more pork imports to stabilize supply and prices, the government continues to implement programs that assist the local hog industry affected by the African swine fever (ASF).
Dar said a P27- billion, three-year repopulation program is in place.
Hog raisers are receiving indemnification for their losses. Fatteners get P10,000 per head while breeders receive P14,500 per head and those with parental stock get P34,000 per head to be paid out by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.
Dar said P1.5 billion has been allocated to the Bantay ASF sa Barangay program which covers test kits for hogs and vaccines for swine as the Bureau of Animals has started conducting random testing of imported pork and pork products at ports.
“The fattening process will take five to six months and if you start by May, you’ll only see it starting (to contribute by) November. We will have our biosecurity warriors for each barangay. We will further improve this in terms of their tools for surveillance and monitoring. We’re also in the process of procuring rapid test PCR machines so that while we are moving around villages, there would be results to further contain and control the spread of ASF,” Dar said.
Dar said the President’s declaration of a state of calamity due to the ASF will provide the local hog industry “enough time” to build defenses for areas that remain unaffected by the virus.
The Bureau of Animal Industry said since the ASF was reported in August 2019, the disease has spread to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 502 cities and municipalities and 2,652 barangays.
Dar did not provide details on the new SRPs. Last April, following the lifting of a 60-day price ceiling for pork, the DA implemented SRPs for imported supply at P270 per kg for kasim and P350 per kg for liempo.
Based on DA’s Bantay Presyo, as of yesterday (May 12), prevailing per kg price of pork kasim is P360 and of liempo, P380.
