Sharp rise in pork prices alarms Puerto Princesa execs

Puerto Princesa meat market

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The city council has expressed concern over the sudden rise of pork prices in the market and that of the local farm gate price of hogs.

Councilor Luis Marcaida III raised the issue during their regular session on Monday, which was brought to his attention by vendors and consumers at the public market.

Prevailing pork prices at the city’s public market now range from P340 to P350 per kilo, compared to P270 to P280 per kilo last week, which, Marcaida said in his privilege speech, was “worrisome,” considering that Palawan is among the few provinces in the country that is free from the African Swine Fever (ASF) disease that has crippled the hog raising industry in other parts of the country.

Price ceiling

Councilor Elgin Damasco, during Monday’s session, also expressed concern about the farm gate price of livestock, with owners opting to sell their products to buyers from outside the city for a higher price.

Damasco said he had talked to the City Legal Office about the possibility of passing an ordinance that would impose a price ceiling for pork products at the farm gate but was advised they do not have the power to do so.

While pork prices at public markets were soaring, Damasco said farmers and livestock raisers were complaining that the local buyers were “pressuring them for cheaper prices, when their farm gate price is already too low.”

READ: Pork price hike as Holy Week nears puzzles DA

Dr. Indira Santiago, City Veterinary Office head, said in an interview on Monday that they met with hog raisers six months ago who asked to put a P150-per kilo ceiling on live pigs but no consensus was reached since the traders did not show up during the meeting.

Before Palawan was certified as ASF-free, the live weight price went as low as P90 per kilo but it suddenly went up when buyers from other provinces came after the declaration of the city as ASF-free, said Santiago.

The city has very little locally made pork product since only few farmers, mostly backyard raisers, are engaged in livestock farming.

She pointed out that when the buyers from Iloilo came, the farm gate price increased from P150 to P180-P190 a kilo. INQ