Manila, July 31 -- To help bring down prices during the holiday season, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is planning to channel most of the pork imports under the proposed Minimum Access Volume (MAV) Plus to Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP) outlets.

MAV, an import system for commodities' entry, sets the tariff for imported pork at 15 percent, much lower than the 25 percent tariff rate outside MAV.

In an ambush interview on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they are seeking about 150,000 metric tons of imported pork under lower tariffs.

"The majority of this will be sold only through the Kadiwa system to help lower pork prices to a more reasonable level," he explained.

The move aims to give consumers access to mor...