Luzon assured of enough pork, chicken supply

Shipments from Visayas and Mindanao ensure adequate supply in Metro Manila up to at least the first quarter of 2021. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Despite the seasonal hike in the demand for meat during holidays, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has assured the public that there would be enough poultry and pork products to tide consumers over until year-end and onto the first quarter of 2021—and the country has the hog raisers from Visayas and Mindanao to thank.

In a recent statement, the DA said there were more than 213,500 hogs that were already shipped to Metro Manila from Visayas and Mindanao since May to augment any shortfall in Luzon caused by the African swine fever (ASF), and “more are expected to be shipped as we approach the new year.”

With the imposition of quarantine and lockdown measures and incidence of ASF in Luzon, Agriculture Secretary William Dar has directed the agency’s regional directors in Visayas and Mindanao to coordinate with swine raisers so they could facilitate the transport of their hogs to Metro Manila to ease the tightening supply and rising prices of pork in the area.

As for poultry, there is more than enough inventory due to the current glut—an effect of the closure of food establishments during the height of coronavirus-induced lockdowns.

“Due to the ASF, the country’s pork inventory has suffered at an alarming level, and the move to ship hogs from Visayas and Mindanao was a preemptive measure to arrest the worsening pork supply shortfal and rising prices in Metro Manila,” Dar said.

Agriculture Undersecretary William Medrano said the bulk of the hogs delivered to Metro Manila came from the regions of Soccskargen and Western Visayas, accounting for about 67 percent of the total shipments.

An additional supply of pork is expected to come from General Santos City as well, where hog raisers have reportedly been preparing to increase their shipments to Metro Manila and other major markets in Luzon to meet the target shipments of 15,000 to 20,000 heads of hogs monthly.

As of December, the National Meat Inspection Service said the inventory of pork and poultry were at 32,724 metric tons (MT) and 43,345 MT, respectively.

Medrano noted that even with the pandemic and the viral hog disease, the country’s total meat volume actually increased slightly compared to 2019 levels. This, he said, was based on DA-NMIS data.