THE Department of Agriculture on Monday said it will seek new price limits on pork and chicken meat to address the price hikes caused by the African swine fever outbreak.
A group of hog raisers and poultry farmers meanwhile blasted the proposal saying this would put local farmers at a disadvantage, and urged the government to freeze meat imports instead.
Agriculture secretary William Dar said they were proposing to cap the price of pork ham (pigue) at P270 per kilo and P300 per kilo for pork belly (liempo).
Dar said they hope to have President Rodrigo Duterte sign the executive order this week, which will also set a price ceiling on whole chicken at P160 per kilo.
Based on DA’s monitoring, prices of pork ham rose to an average of P350/kg this month from P280/kg in December.
Pork belly prices have also spiked to P400/kg this month from P320/kg in December.
Meanwhile, prices of whole chicken have also started to inch higher as consumers shift to alternative meat for pork.
Dar insisted that the high prices are caused not just by supply constraints brought about by ASF, but also because of “manipulation” by traders and wholesalers.
‘Transport costs, not manipulation’
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) meanwhile said prices are high in Metro Manila because traders have to source pork and chicken from as far as Ilocos and Bicol as ASF has decimated hog farms near the capital.
SINAG said the farmgate prices of pork now range between P230 to 250 per kilo in Luzon, while chicken farmgate prices range between P115 to P120 per kilo.
Prices of feeds and inputs have also gone up, SINAG said.
The group added that many farmers have opted not to raise hogs anymore because of worries that ASF would result in further losses. Many poultry farms meanwhile have ceased operating because of the flood of cheap imports, the group said.
They also accused the government of prioritizing importers over local farmers.
“Hindi na nga natulungan ang industriya sa gitna ng pananalanta ng African swine fever, pahihirapan pa kami ngayon at ang mga pork importers pa ang gustong isa-subsidize,” said SINAG chairman Rosendo So.
The group also blamed the DA for its “incapacity” to keep meat products contaminated with ASF from entering the country. (ABS-CBN News)
