September 1, 2010

Surge in pork imports alarms Philippine hog raisers

Hog raisers belonging to the Philippine National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI) are raising concerns over the jump in pork imports to more than 120 million kilogrammes from January to August 24 this year.

NFHFI chairman Zosimo de Leon said the import figures from January to August 24 are the highest since 2005. The volume that arrived in the Philippines in eight months has already exceeded the importation last year, he said. 

Figures from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) showed that pork imports reached 87,284 tonnes, or 87.28 million kilogrammes last year.

The NFHFI disclosed that among the pork products shipped into the Philippines from January to August this year are parts that are not usually bought by consumers in other countries such as pig lips, cheeks and head.

NFHFI noted that there is an existing administrative order which disallows the sale in wet markets of thawed pork parts or those that are not frozen.

De Leon said his group has already dialogued with the Department of Agriculture and that they have already expressed their misgivings about pork importation to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.

NFHFI and other hog raisers' groups will hold meetings to discuss possible measures to help them cope with the surge in pork imports, according to de Leon.

Meanwhile, for 2010, NFHFI officials estimated that hog production may grow by 5% to 1.97 million tonnes from the 1.877 million tonnes produced in 2009.