Tariff cut misses goal

Hog growers are still on the losing end despite the temporary reduction of tariff on pork as prices remain on an all-time high. The United Broilers and Raisers Association (UBRA) said in a position paper filed with the Senate that inflation “will not soften just because of a tariff cut on pork imports.” “The stated purpose of Executive Order 128 to bring down pork prices to affordable levels and dampen inflation will not happen,” UBRA President Lawyer Jose Elias “Bong” Inciong said. Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed that even if a tariff cut has not yet been implemented, there was already a substantial increase of 150.70 percent or 66.376 million kilos in pork imports early this year. This is from an import volume of 44.031 million kilos from January to March 2020 to 110.419 million kilos in the same period of 2021. For prime cuts like bellies and pork cuts, the increase in pork imports has also been significant at 254 percent or from 10.719 million kilos in January to March 2020 to 38.024 million in the same period of 2021. It is notable that the period accounted for started even prior to the onset of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. “Covid was not yet a major problem during the first quarter of 2020. These increases in importation occurred without any cuts in tariff,” the group said. The Department of Agriculture itself set a Suggested Retail Price (SRP) for imported pork that is not really significantly cheaper than prevailing prices. The SRP for kasim is P270 per kilo, and for liempo, P350 per kilo. MARIA ROMERO