GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government is closely monitoring the supply of pork and other related products in the local markets as their prices continue to increase in the past several weeks reportedly due to inadequate supply.
Dr. Antonio Ephrem Marin, head of the City Veterinary Office, said Monday they are continually coordinating with local hog producers to help cope with the area’s supply requirements.
He said the shortage is mainly due to the limited supply of pork nationwide in the wake of the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in several parts of the country.
Hog producers here and in nearby South Cotabato province have been supplying around 25,000 to 30,000 live hogs to various markets, including Luzon, but the production in other areas has significantly decreased since last year due to the ASF.
Marin said the situation was compounded by the movement restrictions since last year in connection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“We’re hoping that the supplies in our markets will increase in the coming weeks so the prices will also stabilize,” he told reporters.
Based on the local government’s monitoring, the price of pork in the area is now at PHP280 to PHP320 a kilo, a significant increase from the PHP200 a kilo from late last year.
Pork lechon increased from PHP300 to PHP450 per kilo while the market prices of processed pork products, especially chorizo, also posted significant increases.
Sharp increases in pork prices and related products have also been recorded in the markets in nearby South Cotabato province.
Marin said the local government and the Department of Trade and Industry will be conducting a dialogue with local hog producers to address the situation.
The city council has called for a public hearing and consultation with the meat vendors associations here on Monday afternoon to look into the problem and explore possible interventions. (PNA)
