Agriculture groups nix proposals to slash tariffs on meat, corn

April 14, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Farmers’ groups yesterday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to block proposals that would bring down tariffs on chicken, pork and corn to zero, noting that this move would hurt local producers.

In a position paper, the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA) called on the DA to junk proposals to slash tariffs to zero from the current 40 percent on imported chicken meat in reaction to rising oil prices due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Earlier, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, a broad coalition of agriculture groups, said the Marcos administration’s economic managers were considering to impose zero tariff on pork, chicken and corn.

UBRA said imported chicken meat arrivals in the country remain in “low-level transactions and at increasing volumes,” noting that this continues to affect the local poultry industry.

The group also called for the proper implementation of safeguards to protect local poultry producers from the influx of imports, which risks the displacement of local farmers and affects employment.

UBRA also called for the implementation of a strong developmental plan to boost farm production and prevent further supply chain disruptions.

“When global supply chains collapse, local food production becomes the primary source of survival,” it said.

UBRA added that there is currently an overproduction of chicken, causing farmgate prices to drop below production costs, noting that average farmgate prices ranged between P72 and P82 per kilo.

The National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NatFed) also expressed its strong opposition to the proposed removal of tariffs from the current 15 to 25 percent, noting that this could undermine local production and threaten the country’s long-term food security.

The hog industry group argued that reductions in pork import tariffs have mainly benefited importers, without translating to a drop in retail prices.

“The survival of the Philippine hog industry depends on decisive and protective policies,” NatFed said in a letter to the DA.

The Philippine Maize Federation (Philmaize) said that further easing of tariffs on corn would result in the “collapse of farmgate prices, destroy livelihoods, and destabilize rural communities.”

In a separate statement, the group called for an increase in the minimum access volume (MAV) of corn to 500,000 metric tons (MT) from 216,000 MT. They also called on the National Food Authority to allocate funds to purchase 200,000 MT of local corn.