Pork prices up in NCR due to tight supply

Prices of pork in Metro Manila markets have gone up due to the African swine fever (ASF).

According to Bernadette Reyes’ report on Balitanghali on Wednesday, a kilogram of pork belly in Trabajo Market is being sold for P420, while pigue and kasim are being sold for P400 per kilo.

In Mabini Market in Caloocan, a kilogram of pork belly is being sold for P410, while pigue and kasim are being sold for P390 per kilo.

The prices are almost the same rates as a kilo of beef.

With this, several residents resulted in buying the cheaper frozen pork products.

The Department of Agriculture said it already observed the surge in pork prices in the capital region.

“Mayroon po talagang kakulangan. Unang-una po, may kulang po ang supply ng baboy dahil po bunsod ng ASF,” DA spokesperson Noel Reyes said.

The Department of Trade and Industry, meanwhile, already issued show cause orders to retailers who sell pork prices beyond the suggested retail price.

Nicanor Briones, the vice president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, said the government should declare a state of calamity as the ASF was mostly detected in farms in Luzon which resulted in particularly high pork prices.

“Ang talagang malaking epekto kaya naubos ang ating baboy dito sa Luzon at mayroon na rin sa Mindanao at sa Leyte ay dahil dito sa ASF at ang aming computation dito sa Luzon mga 70%, mga 5 million ng mga baboy ang nawawala,” Briones said.

“Tanggapin natin na may malaki tayong problema. Food crisis (ito). Mayroong kalamidad na nangyari sa ating industriya ng pagbababuyan kaya dapat mag-declare ng state of calamity,” he added. -MDM, GMA News