The Philippine Association of Feed Millers, Inc. (PAFMI), the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. (NFHFI), the National Federation of Egg Producers of the Philippines (NFEPP) and the Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators, Inc. (PABI) have expressed their unified call for the removal of tariffs on raw materials crucial in the production of feeds.

In a position paper submitted to the Philippine Tariff Commission, the alliance of the four groups reiterated their petition for the removal of existing duty rates on certain feed ingredients and products under the Sensitive and Highly Sensitive Lists of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement on Trade in Goods.

These feed ingredients are soybeans, soybean meal, dried distillers grain soluble, tapioca residue pellets, wheat, and cassava.

According to the organizations, tariff removal is a crucial step in the country’s efforts to attain national food security and stability. The removal of tariffs levied on raw materials used for making animal feeds will provide economic relief to feed millers, poultry producers, hog farmers, industry stakeholders, and consumers.

Tariff removal reduces production costs. If hog raisers and poultry farmers are unable to absorb increases in production costs, prices of pork and chicken in local markets could rise sharply.

Recent research shows that the average production of hogs is highest in the Philippines compared to other countries. The wholesale price of broiler meat is highest in the Philippines compared to Brazil, China, Thailand and the United States.