Meat importers oppose pork tariff hike

MANILA, Philippines — Meat importers have warned that pork prices could rise if the government imposes higher tariff on pork meat.

The Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) said raising tariffs on pork would further fuel food inflation, threaten the supply of raw materials for local food manufacturers, strain the food service sector and add to the cost burden of Filipino consumers.

“Imposing protectionist tariff increases will fail to resolve the fundamental structural issues plaguing domestic production,” MITA president emeritus Jess Cham said.

Cham said higher import tariffs would drive up retail prices for urban consumers at a time when households remain highly sensitive to changes in the cost of essential food items.

He added that food processors, who rely on imported pork bellies, shoulder and leg meat, may face higher input costs resulting in higher prices for food staples like canned goods and processed meat, among others.

Cham noted that hotel, restaurant and institutional sectors that rely heavily on consistent and price-predictable imported pork cuts would also have to face higher operational costs.

“Higher duties will squeeze operating margins for micro, small and medium restaurant enterprises, forcing menu price hikes across food service establishments nationwide,” he said.

MITA is also pushing to extend the current lower most favored nation (MFN) tariff rates beyond the December 2028 expiration date set by Executive Order 62.

The Department of Agriculture has proposed an incremental tariff increase on imported pork, as the farmgate prices for live hogs decreased to P150 per kilo in August from P215 per kilo in June last year.

An initial 10 percent hike will be implemented on the current in-quota rate of 15 percent and the out-quota rate of 25 percent, resulting in rates of 25 percent for in-quota and 35 percent for out-quota.

The total allowable import volume for pork currently stands at 204,210 metric tons, which are subject to lower tariff rates.