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Hog industry players, DA agree to slash pork prices to P140-P150 per kilo
| By pinoyfarmer | October 7, 2008 |  |
Major players in the hog industry from producers and meat processors down to wholesalers and retailers have agreed with agriculture officials to pull down the cost of prime pork cuts ahead of the Christmas season by agreeing on a “reference price” ranging from P140 to P150 per kilo of choice cuts like pigue, kasim and liempo.
In a meeting with Secretary Arthur Yap and other agriculture officials at the DA central office in Quezon City on Monday, over 30 stakeholders have agreed on this reference price band after reaching consensus on the reasonable profit margins for growers, wholesalers and retailers.
Market data discussed during the dialogue showed that while the farmgate price had gone down to P82.25 per kilo, the retail cost now average P140 a kilo for all cuts, with the price of liempo and other prime cuts reaching P145 to P170 in Metro Manila markets.
“Our purpose was to find a common ground among all industry players in order to come up with a fair reference price that will be beneficial for producers and traders, on one hand, and consumers, on the other,” Yap said. “Pulling down the retail cost of pork items will benefit not only consumers; producers and traders will also benefit because lower market prices will boost consumer demand and thereby mean greater profits for them.”
Among the industry players present during the DA dialogue were Albert Lim, president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI); Rene Eleria, NFHFI chairman; Soledad Agbayani, president of the Philippine Association of Hog Raisers Inc. (PAHRI); Dan Gomez, chairman of the Meat Handler and Dealer Association of the Philippines (MHDAP); and Jess Cham, president of the Meat Importers and Trader Association (MITA).
Also present were Jerome Ong, vice president of the Philippine Association of Meat Processor Inc. (PAMPI); Emar Ozeata, marketing manager of Gemsun Marketing; Rico Geron of the Sorosoro Ibaba Development Corporation; and Rep. Nicanor Briones of the Lipa Multi-Purpose Cooperative Marketing Association (Limcoma).
Ramon Galicia, general manager of the Maypajo Market Multi-Purpose Cooperative; Ruben Tristan Avillanosa, market supervisor of Commonwealth Market; Lorna Valdez, market master of Pritil Market, and other retailer-representatives from different markets in Metro Manila also attended the meeting.
Aside from Yap, the other DA officials who attended the dialogue were Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup, Director Davinio Catbagan of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and Director Carlos Mendoza of the Livestock Development Council (LDC).
Prior to Monday’s dialogue, DA officials have already been meeting with hog industry leaders to discuss their concerns over certain issues saddling the livestock subsector, notably the big spread between the farmgate and retail prices of pork cuts.
DA officials have also denied reports of a government ban on meat imports to the Philippines.
Last week, Catbagan was instructed by Yap to directly establish linkages between hog producers and meat processors, to discuss, among other concerns about the domestic supply and pricing of pork items.
Salacup said that plans are being firmed up to link backyard hog growers with meat traders like PAMPI and MITA.
As for reports of a ban on meat imports, Catbagan made it clear last week that there was no such directive issued by the Secretary, adding that Yap had merely asked the DA’s regulatory agencies to review the issuance of import permits for agricultural products as part of the Department’s intensified efforts to curb smuggling.
“There is no ban,” Catbagan said. “The instruction of the Secretary is in view of the alleged rampant smuggling in the hog sector, he instructed the DA regulatory agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Plant Industry and BAI to review the issuance of import permits to determine if there are lapses.”
He added that, “There was no instruction to suspend the issuance of import permits or authority for any particular agricultural product.”
Source: Philippine Department of Agriculture
Topics: News & Updates | 1 Comment »
October 29th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Good for people to know.