Meat imports hurting us, say backyard hog raisers

DAGUPAN CITY—Backyard hog raisers have urged the Department of Agriculture to stop importers from flooding provincial wet markets with frozen meat, saying it’s bringing huge losses to them.

“If the backyard raisers close down, 70 percent of the industry will die. That is a big part of the industry that will lose income,” said the party-list group Abono in a statement.

Documents supplied by Abono showed that 70 percent of the hog industry is composed of backyard raisers, dominating commercial hog farms that represent the remaining 30 percent. Abono represents the marginalized farm sector.

Rosendo So, Abono chair, said pork importation in 2011 was much higher than imports during the Arroyo administration.

Citing government figures, he said pork importation in 2009 was 114 million kilograms of pork but importers brought in 150 million kg this year.

Poultry imports in 2009 amounted to 67 million kg, which were smaller than this year’s poultry importation of 100 million kg.

“If the local pork industry dies, those who will be adversely affected are farmers who plant corn, rice and sugarcane … The feeds industry will also be affected,” So said.

He said imported pork is meant to supply meat processors but imported meat is being sold in wet markets.

To rescue the pork trade, So said the government could help backyard hog farms thrive by reducing pork imports.

“Just recently, the Bureau of Customs intercepted container vans, [with documents identifying their cargo as offal, instead of] lean meat,” he said.

One of those hurt by imported pork is Alfredo Malicdem, 67, a backyard raiser from Binmaley town, who said he could not sell 17 oversized pigs because the flood of imported meat has pushed pork prices down.

“The [pigs] are already five months old but the buying price of P85 per kilo [measured in live weight] is a losing [proposition for the hog raiser]. We are hoping that prices will be better this month,” he said.

Malicdem butchered 10 pigs two weeks ago and had sold the meat to neighbors.

Locally produced meat is sold in the market at P160-P170 a kilo, but frozen imported meat is sold at P90-P100 a kilo, said Armi Bangsal-Lorica, a restaurant owner in Lingayen town. She said she does not buy imported meat.

In Balungao town, Wilfredo Mina, a hog farm owner, said he was also hurt by pork importation. He said he was luckier because “we produce the piglets that we raise.” “Otherwise, if we bought the piglets, it would be difficult to recoup the [investment we made],” he added. Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon