Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is calling for the passage of a universal flow back mechanism for tariff revenues from agricultural imports to be channeled toward programs for their counterpart domestic agricultural sector.
He said developing the domestic sector “is always better than simply protecting them without support.”
Salceda issued the statement before the General Membership Meeting of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA), one of the largest poultry-sector organizations in the country, in a meeting on April 26.
“The tariffs from imports of agricultural products should go towards developing their domestic counterparts. So, revenues from imported pork should go to the domestic swine industry. Revenues from imported dressed chicken should go towards the broiler sector. That way, we can keep consumer prices low without throwing farmers under the bus,” he said.
Salceda cited the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, saying it has helped farmers achieve record high yields while keeping rice prices under control “in an otherwise high food inflation situation.”
His proposal is embodied in his House Bill No. 2471, or the Universal Tariff Flowback Act, which he filed on July 2022.
The approach is also present in the proposed Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy Development Act that shall allocate P6.3 billion in automatic appropriations toward the livestock and poultry sector, and another P2.8 billion for the corn sector from tariff revenues on imported corn and livestock products, he said.
The proposal is under House Bill No. 440.
Salceda said the Department of Agriculture must establish stronger mechanisms to detect and contain new and more dangerous strains of African swine fever and avian influenza from coming into the country by setting up stronger first border systems.
He responded to the concerns raised by UBRA members that biosafety inspection was conducted not at the port of entry but in cold storage facilites.
“By then, the threat is in. So, I strongly urge the Bureau of Animal Industry to follow international standards and conduct first border inspections at the port of entry, not when the imports are already inside the country’s storage facilities,” he said.