AFP file photo
MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday announced suggested retail prices (SRP) for pork and poultry products as part of efforts to ensure a stable supply of meat in the coming holiday season.
Following a meeting with meat suppliers held yesterday at its head office in Quezon City, the DA said P135 for a kilo of chicken is reasonable, likewise with P175 for a kilo of pigue and P185 for a kilo of liempo.
The DA is monitoring the market in the run-up to the Christmas holidays when prices spike and supply shortages tend to occur.
According to the DA’s Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Service (Amas), the prevailing prices of pork are pegged at P200-P220 per kilo.
Chicken meat is widely available at P140 a kilo but some markets in Metro Manila sell chicken at P125-P135.
Assistant Secretary Leandro Gazmin, who heads the Amas, said the DA would submit the SRP for pork and chicken meat to the Department of Trade and Industry, which has the authority to issue SRPs.
The umbrella group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) lauded the move, saying it was high time considering that prevailing retail prices are P90-P100 more than farm gate prices, a difference that is “too much.”
Based on Sinag monitoring, farm gate prices of live hogs currently range from P106 to P120 a kilo, and of chicken from P75 to P82 a kilo.
Sinag chair Rosendo So said that the price difference for pork should only be P60 and for chicken at P40 only. Both amounts should reasonably cover the costs of transport, handling, storage, marketing and profit margins.
“We believe that everyone in the industry—from the producers, handlers, to transporters and retailers—should maintain reasonable margins,” said So.