Retailers to join pork holiday as price ceiling ‘too low’

Several retailers are set to join the pork holiday on Monday, the same day a price ceiling on food commodities is scheduled to come into effect, as they said the limit set by the government is too low for them to make a profit.

The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association led by President Steven Cua said several members may choose not to sell pork and chicken products given the price ceiling.

"Hindi logical for us to carry pork or chicken because you know, we cannot make anything, any profit out of it. We will not carry but not as an opposition to the government directive of a price freeze," he said in a report on GMA's "24 Oras Weekend" on Sunday.

Effective Monday, February 8, a price cap per kilogram of P270 will be implemented for kasim and pigue, P300 for liempo, and P160 for dressed chicken as mandated by Executive Order (EO) 124 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this month.

"Pwedeng mahuli 'pag ano, hindi ka tumupad sa presyo, eh hindi namin kaya 'yung presyo eh," Federito Naculangga, a retailer, said in the same report.

"Wala daw katay, walang deliver, magwewelga daw silang lahat," added Amelia Makitaptanan, another retailer interviewed in the report.

The price ceiling was proposed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) as pork and chicken prices have continued to increase despite the price freeze implemented late last year amid the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

The DA said that supplies from other areas are set to be made available soon, which will help lower prices moving forward.

"Meron na rin pong mga biyahero at mga hog raisers na nakikipagtulungan sa amin para po ang ating mga tindera ay makasunod sa presyo. Sa ating mga tindera, hindi pa po nakakarating sa inyo ang murang baboy. Tutulungan namin kayo," DA assistant secretary for agribusiness Kristine Evangelista said.

The latest data available from the DA price monitoring shows that prevailing prices of pork ham (kasim) was currently at P350 per kilogram, and pork belly (liempo) at P380 per kilogram.

Dealers and vendors earlier blamed hog raisers for the high prices of pork in the market, as they cited the higher farmgate prices of pork.

Meanwhile, the DA blamed the recent storms and the ASF outbreak for the recent spike in prices of agricultural goods such as pork and chicken, among others.
  — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News