Senator says increase of MAV for pork must only be stop-gap measure

The Department of Agriculture should ensure that the measure to increase the allowable pork imports this year is only a stop-gap measure, as food self-sufficiency should remain a priority of the government, a senator said Sunday.

In a radio interview, Senator Francis Pangilinan reacted to the move of the DA to increase the minimum access volume (MAV) fork pork, which the department is planning to triple to 162,000 metric tons this year from 54,000 metric tons.

"Ang priority natin, sufficient tayo sa food, pero kung import nang import ibig sabihin 'di tayo sufficient, so dapat tiyakin na stop gap measure lang," Pangilinan said in an interview on DZRH.

"Dapat tiyakin din ang quality ng imported. Baka lalo tumindi ang ASF (African swine fever) kung 'di babantayan ang imported meat," he added.

Just last week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) proposed that President Rodrigo Duterte implement a ceiling on pork and chicken prices, which have gone up despite the price freeze implemented late last year amid the ASF calamity.

The DA is seeking to implement the following price ceilings — P270 per kilogram (/kg.) for kasim/pigue; P300/kg. for liempo; and P160/kg. for dressed chicken.

Latest data available from the price monitoring shows that as of January 29, prevailing prices per kilogram of pork ham (kasim) were reported at P370, and pork belly (liempo) at P400.

"Hindi isa ang dahilan, merong nagsasamantala dahil ganyan talaga ang ilang mapagsamantala, so 'yun, dapat habulin 'yun pero meron ding ang partner niyan 'pag kulang ang supply dahil sunud sunod ang bagyo," said Pangilinan.

"Dapat tiyakin na lockdown areas at quarantine areas ay masuportahan. Suportahan ang mga magsasaka, gayun din sa baboy. Ako pinag-aaralan ko, tatanungin natin nagdeklara na ba ng state of emergency para matuungan ang hog raisers," he added. —LBG, GMA News