Hog industry pushes back on Marcos’ pork import hike

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippine hog industry pushed back against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s  decision to sharply increase pork import allocations, arguing the move threatens to undermine the local sector’s gradual recovery from African Swine Fever (ASF) despite improving production and adequate supply.

The Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc., or PROPORK, criticized Executive Order No. 116, which raised the country’s minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports to 204,250 metric tons from 54,250 metric tons while maintaining lower tariff rates.

“The President’s decision shows a disturbing disconnect from the true state of the industry,” PROPORK President Eric Harina said in a statement, disputing official interpretations of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data that point to declining domestic supply.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data cited by the federation showed hog production in 2025 reached 1.66 million metric tons, liveweight, down 2.7 percent from 1.70 million metric tons in 2024 and marking the third consecutive annual decline from 1.79 million metric tons in 2023. Hog inventory also fell 5.1 percent year on year to 19.68 million heads from 20.74 million heads previously.

Despite the decline, industry groups said the figures reflect a sector still rebuilding from ASF outbreaks rather than a supply crisis requiring aggressive importation.

Bukidnon remained the country’s largest hog-producing province in 2025 with 144,790 metric tons, accounting for 8.7 percent of total production, followed by Batangas with 129,650 metric tons and Cebu with 94,290 metric tons, according to the PSA report. Pampanga and South Cotabato rounded out the top five producers.

PROPORK argued that imported and local pork supply are already sufficient to stabilize the market, saying repeated government reliance on import liberalization since 2020 has failed to significantly reduce consumer prices.

The federation noted that average farmgate prices of hogs for slaughter rose 9.1 percent in 2025 to ?199.02 per kilogram from ?182.46 per kilogram a year earlier. Retail prices of fresh pork kasim also increased 8.5 percent to an average of ?357.21 per kilogram from ?329.09 previously.

“This clearly indicates a need to improve the country’s underdeveloped supply and value chain, not merely flood the market with more imports,” the group said.

According to PSA, pork imports climbed 15.1 percent in 2025 to 891,140 metric tons from 774,470 metric tons a year earlier, while the value of imports surged 31.8 percent to $1.22 billion.

PROPORK said the widening gap between lower farmgate prices and elevated retail prices points to inefficiencies in logistics, distribution and market systems rather than inadequate supply.

The federation also questioned the process behind the executive order, saying industry stakeholders and the MAV Council were not properly consulted before the policy was approved.

PROPORK called on the government to revoke the expanded MAV allocation, institutionalize consultations with hog raisers before trade policy decisions, and prioritize supply-chain modernization over further import liberalization.

“We are not against importation,” the federation said. “But flooding the market while the local industry is still recovering is not fair competition—it is a death sentence for Filipino hog farmers.”

The group warned that continued dependence on imported pork could reverse gains from the industry’s ASF recovery and force more small-scale hog raisers out of business. — (FREEMAN)