Agricultural groups are crying foul over the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposal to reduce the tariff rates imposed on pork and rice imports, noting that doing so would put local producers on the losing end.
The DA’s move came as a surprise to industry leaders who said they only knew of the recommendation through a news report. The Inquirer on Friday reported that the agency has proposed tariff cuts to be implemented over the next 12 months as a means to depress high food prices.
“There was no consultation done by the DA on this issue and there has been undue haste in pushing this proposal,” Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) national chair Raul Montemayor said. “We vehemently …
Keep on reading: Agri stakeholders decry move to slash tariffs on pork, rice imports