The Department of Agriculture said it expects the market prices of pork to go down to P300 per kilo or even less with the arrival of imported hog meat from countries declared as free of the dreaded African swine fever.
“We’d like to see the softening of prices in the coming weeks. The imported meat will range from P280 to P300 per kilo and these will come from ASF-free countries—US, Canada, Netherlands, Denmark and Spain,” said DA spokesman Asec. Noel Reyes.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar, for his part, said the department has already put in place logistics and policy measures to bring down the prices of pork and other farm products in Luzon.
In a radio interview, Dar admitted that recent problems in the supply and production side have pushed up the prices of commodities, especially of pork and vegetables.
On the logistics side, he said the DA has coordinated with farmer cooperatives in Luzon for the use of their delivery trucks to transport vegetables from the farm to the market to cut down on transportation costs.
The DA is also teaming up with partners and stakeholders in the shipping sector to offer reduced, if not free, shipment cost for the transport of hogs from the Visayas and Mindanao.
This would involve the Philippine Ports Authority, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), and private shipping lines, Dar said.
Luzon is running low on pork supply due to issues brought about by the ASF that bore heavily on hog raisers.
Dar said the department is now assisting the sector for repopulation and hog restocking efforts.
On the policy side, which is of long-term importance, the DA is working on a possible price ceiling and lowering of tariff to drive down pork prices.
Earlier, the IATF, upon the recommendation of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Task Group on Food Security, backed the designation of a nautical highway from Luzon and Mindanao and the Maharlika Highway in Luzon as special hog lanes, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
Roque said the move would ensure the unhampered passage of hog shipments from Visayas and Mindanao, while preventing the spread of ASF.