PH pork, chicken supply up as more imports arrive

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s pork and chicken inventory as of last week continued to increase with the arrival of more imports while meat prices in public markets slightly declined this week, data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed.

Data from the National Meat Inspection Service as of Aug. 9 showed an increase in pork and chicken supply in cold storage facilities from week-ago and month-ago levels.

Of the 77,760.78 metric tons of pork in inventory, 97 percent were imported while 63 percent or 32,241 MT of the total supply of chicken at 50,841 MT were also imported.

But traders said price decreases might not be felt immediately by consumers due to logistical and shipping issues brought by the pandemic.

—KARL R. OCAMPO