(Eagle News) – Members of the meat processing industry are now hurting from the total ban imposed by some local government units on processed meat products from Luzon due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) scare.
In this report by Eagle News Service reporter Eden Santos, representatives of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors, Inc. (PAMPI) aired their worries on the total ban on their meat products by some LGUs especially from the Visayas region.
They said that this ASF scare which has affected their products will have a strong impact on the economy.
PAMI said that the meat processing industry is one of the drivers of economic growth of the country with an annual production value of more than P300 billion, and employs about 150,000 workers.
“At this point in time, nakikita namin na yung information dissemination ng ating gobyerno, hindi masyadong marami. Mas marami yung scare dissemination sa mga consumers. That’s why we came out. Lahat ng probinsya nagkakaroon na ng ban maski hindi tama,” said Felix Tiukinhoy Jr., president of PAMPI.
“Can you imagine yung produkto galing Manila, hindi na makapasok sa Cebu regardless kung anong produkto – canned, frozen. Wala. Basta sabi galing sa Luzon banned,” he said.
PAMPI assured the public that their products are safe for the public’s consumption.
“PAMPI assures our consumers that all the products we produce are safe to consume. We would like to assure you that we get our raw materials only from approved sources, not approved by us, but approved by the government,” said PAMPI spokesperson Rex Agarrado.
“There’s a list of countries that we can only import from,” he said.
“Tinitiyak po namin na walang ASF virus ang mga produkto namin,” stressed PAMPI vice-president Jerome Ong.
The group is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene in the situation.
Cebu and Bohol have already imposed a total ban of pork and processed meat products coming from Luzon.