Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) chairman Rosendo So is hoping for better communication with current Agriculture Secretary and Philippine President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. to address the issues affecting the country’s food security.
In an interview with CNN, So said the President’s projection of needing to import more pork and chicken to augment the current supply is actually in line with the trend for the past two years since pork imports increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2020.
The hog raising community faced the threat of African Swine Fever. To address this problem, So said they have been pushing for border security protocols for pork and chicken importation to ensure that all shipments will be inspected thoroughly.
So also said that if the government truly wanted to give the local industry a boost, they must ensure that farmers, especially the rice farmers, are getting the proper inputs.
