The suggested retail price of pork has been raised in the National Capital Region (NCR) amid supply challenges brought about by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Based on the pork meat price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the cost of pork ham (kasim) increased to ₱260 from ₱230, while the price of pork belly (liempo) rose to ₱280 from ₱250.
Live hogs and frozen carcass from Visayas and Mindanao are now being transported to Luzon to meet pork requirements. The DA said there is short supply of pork in Luzon due to the spread ASF which has already affected at least 31 provinces.
“Now that we are bringing in pork from Visayas and Mindanao, we have taken into consideration na may expense po ‘yan as far as logistics (that there will be logistics expenses),” DA ASec. Kristine Evangelista explained.
“So to be equitable po sa lahat ng mga part of the value chain, tiningnan po namin at nakita namin na kailangan mag-adjust po ng presyo dahil nga mayroong bagong consideration na pumasok (to be equitable to all parts of value chain, we saw the need for price adjustment due to new considerations),” Evangelista added.
Market players have raised concern on the SRP, saying that the pork prices imposed by suppliers are higher. The price of pork in Metro Manila is currently at ₱300 to ₱330/kg for kasim and ₱330 to ₱360/kg for liempo.
Some consumers are asking the Philippine Competition Commission to conduct an investigation on the increase of prices, claiming that there is a possibility of hoarding and something is “something wrong in the supply chain.”
The DA said it will probe into the matter and added that there are still no plans of importing live hogs abroad. – Report from Louisa Erispe
