2,000 hogs from South Cotabato arrive in Manila to boost supply

Agriculture Secretary William Dar witnessed the arrival of 2,000 live hogs courtesy of Biotech Farms on February 17, 2021 at the Vitas Port, Pier 18 in Tondo, Manila. The shipments came from South Cotabato.

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday announced that some 2,000 hogs from South Cotabato have arrived in Metro Manila in order to plug supply shortfall and to bring down prices of pork and other products.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the hogs are already in Tondo, Manila, and will be brought to different markets in Metro Manila.

“Kabahagi ito ng mga hakbang na ginagawa para maibsan ‘yung kakulangan ng baboy dito sa Metro Manila nang sa gano’n bumaba ang presyo ng baboy, at least umabot doon sa price cap na sinet ng gobyerno,” he said in an interview over PTV 4.

(This is part of measures being taken to address the supply shortage of pork in Metro Manila so that prices will go down, at least to the price cap set by the government.)

In a bid to tame the rising prices of pork and chicken, President Rodrigo Duterte had imposed a 60-day price cap on in Metro Manila.

Executive Order No. 124 set price ceilings of P270 a kilo for “kasim/pigue” and P300 per kilo for “liempo,” and P160 a kilo for dressed chicken, against the current rates of P440 and P200, respectively, in public markets.

Roque said the government is continuously shipping hogs to Metro Manila from areas unaffected by the African Swine Fever (ASF). The government is also ready to import pork products from abroad should the supply remain insufficient.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture said a group of swine producers from Mindanao, the Southern Cotabato Swine Producers Association, has committed to ship 10,000 hogs to Metro Manila every week.

EDV