MANILA – Industry leaders have assured consumers of enough supply and stable prices for rice, pork and poultry products during the holiday season and weeks thereafter.
The assurance was made by former Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones, who is vice president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc. (Propork) and is also into poultry business in Batangas; and Joji Co, president of the Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations, during the “Usapang Sakahan” of the “Real News” forum at the Rolando’s Farm-to-Table Restaurant in Quezon City last Tuesday.
“We have sufficient stocks for the consumers this Christmas season and prices would be stable during the period and immediately thereafter,” Briones said, adding consumers need not worry about supplies for the holidays.
At the same time, Co noted that good local palay harvest and the government importation contributed to the stability of the supply and prices of rice.
Co also called for further review of the proposed “unimpeded rice importation” by the private sector and the rice tarrification bill so the country’s palay farmers would be protected.
Briones even hinted that due to possible oversupply, prices of pork are even falling.
“Many piggeries are expanding because business has been good in the past two years, so, I think we will have enough supply,” he said.
“Compared with last year’s price which was about P135 per kilo (of pork), now it’s P120 to P125. For backyard growers, it’s P115. Any lower and growers won’t be making money. The reason it’s falling even though it’s nearly December is excess supply. If there were any shortage, the price would rise easily by P10 back to around P135,” Briones said.
“There is also enough supply for chicken and eggs,” he added.
Briones and Co, meanwhile, called for the restoration of bigger budget for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to be able to help farmers and increase production.
Under then president and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the DA had the third largest budget after the Department of Education and the Department of National Defense, they said.
On the other hand, Briones proposed strict checks on imported pork to ensure that African Swine Fever (ASF), which has hit various countries, would not be transmitted to the Philippines.
Briones noted that imports of pork from the US and Canada are continuing while products from China, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine have been barred from entry to the Philippines due to ASF.
He lauded the DA also for banning poultry coming from certain areas in the US, such as California, which has been hit by avian flu or Newcastle disease.
Briones also called on consumers to be wary about frozen pork sold in the public markets without refrigeration facilities.
He said domestic pork producers are looking forward to increased demand during the holidays and the coming elections.
“The holidays are approaching and so are the elections. People will have a lot of money because of the campaign spending. We can see it starting now,” Briones said at the forum.
Latest data showed that chicken production from July to September increased 4 percent to 428,770 MT, while swine population improved 1 percent to 13.13 million heads.
Total chicken inventory was estimated at 195 million birds, up 7 percent year on year. All three types of chicken – native, broiler and layer – posted increments during the period. (With PNA/PN)
