MANILA – Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated there is no need to impose a price ceiling on pork, primarily lechon (roasted) pig, for the forthcoming holiday season, given the country’s African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.
“I don’t believe in price caps. Lechon, particularly roasted pigs. “Technically, it’s a luxury item,” he remarked in an ambush interview on Thursday outside the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc.’s annual membership conference.
Tiu Laurel stated that, while a “minimal” price increase is predicted during high Christmas demand, the nation’s pork supply is “stable”.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big increase (in prices). I think increment, minor increase (only),” he said.
Chester Tan, chairperson of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, also expressed concerns about the holiday staple’s supply reliability.
“Right now, we are assuring our public that (the public) this coming season of December that we have enough supply of pork even for the lechoneros, we have enough supply,” he stated during another interview.
He stated that they had obtained projections, planning, and preparation from the DA over the previous two to three months.
Meanwhile, the DA chief stated that the entry of pork imports has helped bolster the country’s reserves.
“I think, we have enough supply. Actually, I was looking at the import numbers the other day, and it turns out (it shows that) there is 10 percent more importation of pork this year than last year,” says Tiu Laurel.
As of September 30, more than 517.86 million kg. According to the DA’s Trade System, shipments of imported pork have landed in the country since January.
The DA has also increased measures to limit the ASF’s impact on the cattle sector by implementing ongoing government-controlled vaccination and more severe biosecurity protocols, such as the establishment of inspection stations in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry, 465 barangays in the Cordillera region, Ilocos, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, and Soccsksargen are still classified as “red zones,” or places with active cases of ASF.