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Government scrambling to lower pork prices


The government is now working to cut down prices of pork in the country, which, starting June last year, had steadily gone up by over 50% from the Department of Agriculture's (DA's) suggested retail price.

The latest data from the DA indicates the prevailing price of pork ham (kasim) in Metro Manila was P360 per kilogram (/kg.) as of Friday, January 22. The lowest price reported was P340/kg., and the highest at P400/kg, 53% higher than the SRP of P260/kg.

Likewise, the prevailing price of pork belly (liempo) was reported at P400/kg., with a range of P380/kg. to P450/kg. versus the SRP of P290/kg.

"Tinitignan din po natin na magkaroon tayo ng pag-impose ng price cuts para sa presyo ng baboy. Pinag-aaralan na 'to ng Department of Agriculture," Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and Task Force Zero Hunger chairman said in Bernadette Reyes' report on GMA's "24 Oras Weekend."

The DA last week blamed the African swine fever (ASF) for the drop in the supply, with several raisers choosing not to raise hogs this year in fear of the disease, on top of the hogs that were killed by it.

"Seventy percent ng baboy nawala na sa Luzon -- 5 million heads, P100 billion ang halaga. 'Pag 'yan kinwenta mo, tala mo pa ang natamaan ng 10 bagyo. Dapat mag-delcare ng state of calamity para 'yung pondo na 'yun magamit," Nicky Briones, vice president at the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, said in the same report.

The DA first confirmed the presence of the ASF in the Philippines in September 2019. It blamed the outbreak mainly on imports from China and the practice of swill feeding. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News

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