MANILA, Philippines — Imported pork continues to drive the country’s inventory of frozen pork, as imports remained more than double compared to last year’s volumes.
Latest data from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) showed that the inventory of frozen pork in accredited cold storage facilities totaled 83,329.39 metric tons (MT) as of Oct.25.
While the figure is slightly lower than the 83,645.7 MT registered in the previous week, it is significantly higher than the 42,171.01 MT inventory in the same period last year.
NMIS data showed that imported pork accounted for the bulk of the inventory at 81,416.95 MT, while local pork only had a 1,912.44 MT share.
The volume of imported pork currently in the inventory is around 136 percent higher than the 34,523.27 MT imported pork in the same period last year.
The National Capital Region (NCR) accounted for bulk of the imported pork inventory at 29,163.95 MT.
This was followed by the Central Luzon region with 23,315 MT, and the Calabarzon region with 21,711.8 MT.
As part of the government’s effort to bring down prices and stabilize the supply of pork in the country, President Duterte issued Executive Order 133, which increased the MAV for pork meat to 254,210 MT for 2021.
Duterte also signed EO 134, which provides that in-quota pork imports or those under the MAV are slapped with a 10 percent tariff for three months. This is lower than the original rate of 30 percent.
Out quota pork imports are slapped with a 20 percent tariff for the first three months, which will be raised to 25 percent in the remaining months. This is lower than the original tariff of 40 percent.
Last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar announced the expansion of the coverage area of the 200,000 MT pork imports under the MAV Plus to include areas outside of the NCR Plus region, which continue to see high prices of pork.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) said the move would not address the unabated high prices of pork due to policies banning the sale of frozen pork in wet markets without freezers.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua expressed support for the easing of restrictions on the sale of pork in wet markets, saying that inflation in areas outside NCR remains higher compared to Metro Manila where most of the imported pork is being sold.
“And one reason for that is that some restrictions prevent some of these imported supplies from being sold elsewhere, especially in wet markets. This is something that we think should be further relaxed so that more people can benefit,” Chua said.
Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. president Rolando Tambago told The Star that local producers are against the easing of the said restrictions, emphasizing the need to ensure the safety of pork for consumers.
“If the government will fold to the request of those calling to ease the restrictions – on displaying thawed imported pork without freezers – then they will be risking the health of the consumers and it might create more problems on the health of the general public,”Tambago said.
He said this could lead to more health problems for the country on top of the ongoing pandemic.
“Remember, until now, the Philippines has no first border control facilities in place to guarantee imported food products like pork and vegetables will be checked upon arrival to ensure they are safe from contaminants and diseases that could possibly put the Philippine populace at risk,” Tambago said.