Higher pork imports disappoint hog raisers

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Hundreds of thousands of small backyard hog growers, who produce 70 percent of the country’s pork supply, will sink deeper into poverty while only a handful of importers will make a killing.

This was the prediction of agricultural groups and lawmakers after President Duterte recommended that Congress increase the volume of pork that could be imported with lower tariffs in a bid to augment supply and ease the persistently high pork prices.

“It would be like giving a death sentence to our local hog raisers,” said Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who was baffled by the President’s response to the Senate’s recommendation to curb imports to keep local farmers afloat.

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