FARMERS advocacy group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) on Thursday supported the proposed P380 per kilogram (kg) price cap on local liempo (pork belly).
Farmgate prices of live hogs averaged a low P180-P190/kg in the past seven months, while that of liempo remained high at P400-P450/kg.
The gap, which ranges from 90 to 120 percent, shows that high pork prices are not caused by profiteering local hog raisers, but rather by supply chain failures, including weak market regulation, excessive intermediary or middlemen margins, and poor price transmission, Sinag said.
The group also criticized the “neoliberal policy bias” that relies on importation and tariff reduction to lower retail prices, arguing such policies have failed consumers while harming local pork producers.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed that pork imports totaled 851.76 million in 2025.
Despite massive import volumes, pork prices remain elevated, Sinag said as it demanded that government restore “long overdue” pork tariffs to their original levels: 40 percent for Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates and 30 percent for Minimum Access Volume (MAV) rates.
MFN refers to member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). MAV is a WTO trade mechanism that allows a specific quantity of agricultural commodities (rice, pork, corn) to be imported into a country at a lower tariff rate. Shipments exceeding this quota are charged a higher tariff.
Sinag also called on the government to conduct 100-percent first-border inspection and quarantine facilities nationwide to prevent agricultural smuggling and the spread of animal diseases such as the African swine fever (ASF).
It likewise emphasized the importance of investing in domestic production, saying that shifting the country’s focus toward strengthening local food production would lessen dependence on external sources, protect the economy from global shocks, safeguard rural livelihoods, and ensure long-term food security.