DA sets emergency meet with chicken producers over high prices
Concerned over high prices of chicken, the Department of Agriculture will hold an emergency meeting with chicken producers Tuesday afternoon to discuss the matter. DA Secretary Proceso Alcala said he wants to find out why chicken prices are high even if the normal "barometers" indicate chicken prices should be normal. "(Noon) ang demand ng manok tumaas gawa ng pagkakasira ng isda sa merkado so inunawa natin. Pero ngayon, normal ang presyo ng isda, halos kaunti na lang ang baba, dapat ibalik na sa datihang presyo ng mga magmamanok ang kanilang presyo para di mahirapan ang ating kababayan," Alcala said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (We understood a slight increase in chicken prices due to increased demand caused by a recent fish kill. But now, demand for fish is going back to normal and so is demand for chicken. So prices of chicken should have gone back to normal.) But he cited reports reaching him indicating some vendors sell chicken at P135 to P140 per kilo instead of the normal P130 per kilo. "Dapat ang dahilan either lumakas nang sobra ang demand o nawala ang supply o kung tumaas ang pagkain. Sa tatlong barometro natin lahat ay normal eh. So wala kaming makitang dahilan, mukhang talagang gustong pansamantalahan ng iba nating mamamayan, huwag naman. Obligasyon ng kagawaran na bigyan ng proteksyon ang mamimili," Alcala said. (The reason for a price hike should have been low supply or high prices of feeds, or high demand. But our three barometers show prices should be normal. The only conclusion we can reach is that some people are trying to exploit the situation. And the DA's obligation is to protect consumers.)