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Monday, October 31, 2005
Expanded VAT seen to pose minimal effect on hog industry
By Danilo V. Adorador III
THE Reformed Value Added Tax (R-VAT) will have minimal impact on hog industry, National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NHFI) president Albert Lim assured the public Thursday.
Lim was here to attend the contract signing for the holding of the 15th of National Hog Raisers Convention in Cagayan de Oro next year.
Also present during the contract signing were hog farmers in the different parts of the region and officials from Southland Events, a local event organizer who was also tasked to arrange this year's Mindanao Food and Hotel Exhibition (MinFhex).
Lim explained that animal feeds will not be directly affected with R-VAT which economic experts say is due for implementation this year.
However, he said hog raisers are likely to expect additional cost on transport which could trigger a little adjustment on the price of processed meat.
"But this will be very little, the public could hardly even feel it," Lim told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, the convention's exclusive media partner.
Giving his assessment on hog farming business, Lim said there is a stable supply of pork meat in Region 10 and anywhere else in the country, but added that consumption has gone down in the recent years.
"We are sad that there is this talk of declining supply of pork supply in our markets. In fact, there is a good supply but only less buyers," he said.
Quoting statistics, he said the average Filipino only eat 13 kilos of pork per year, lower than the average Asian pork-eater.
Lim also underscored the importance of holding the NHRC saying this would strengthen the hog farming industry which is the second largest in the country, next to rice cultivation.
He said there are over seven million Filipinos directly and indirectly engage in hog farming as of present. Of this number, he said 77 percent accounts for backyard hog-raising or those households raising hogs not entirely for commercial purposes.
In choosing Cagayan de Oro as this year's venue for NHRC, Lim gave emphasis to the region's ideal climate for hog-raising.
"Local governments in Region 10 are also very supportive of this industry. This is the reason why some of the hog farmers in other parts of the country are re-locating their farms here."
(October 31, 2005 issue)
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