Meat importers want old quotas

Meat traders are urging the Marcos administration to restore the previous pork import allocation system, saying the recent policy changes could disrupt established supply chains and investments in the industry.

The Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) called on President Marcos to review and reconsider the recently issued guidelines on the minimum access volume (MAV).

READ: Increasing pork import quotas may create unfair competition – industry groups

In a letter to Mr. Marcos, MITA president emeritus Jesus Cham echoed the group’s push to conduct broader consultations among government agencies, affected industries and other stakeholders regarding pork import quotas.

Approved on March 31, government agencies issued Joint Department Circular No. 1 amending the MAV scheme to ensure “equitable” participation among stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

The joint circular effectively cancelled all MAV allocations under previous guidelines and consolidated them into a single pool for redistribution.

MAV is a trade mechanism that allows the importation of specific quantities of agricultural products at lower tariff rates.

Subsequently, on May 19, the President issued Executive Order No. 116 increasing the MAV for pork to 204,210 metric tons (MT) from 54,210 MT to address the existing supply gap and stabilize prices.

The group argued that the new MAV scheme “effectively eliminated the regular allocations” of existing license holders and “fundamentally altered a system” that has been in place for decades. INQ