RYAN has a budget of ten thousand pesos for purchasing essential goods for his family.
He said, unlike before their groceries lasted until the fourth week, but now they find it difficult to stretch their budget due to the high prices of goods.
They decided to buy whole chicken meat from supermarkets or groceries instead of the public market.
“I guess there’s only a P5 to P10 difference. Before when my mother and I used to purchase, the price was around P140 or P130, which was already considered high-end,” said Ryan, Consumer.
Ryan’s concern over the high prices of goods, especially whole chicken meat, is being addressed by the Department of Agriculture.
Tuesday morning, DA Undersecretary for Livestock Deogracias Savellano visited three major local supermarkets in Quezon City.
This was to check the supply and prices of chicken and pork.
The official showed that the consumers have options for low-priced meat we’re chicken can be bought for P160/kg, and pork is also in reasonable price.
Savellano also highlighted that the inspected supermarkets comply with the food safety requirements of the DA-National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
He emphasized that other markets should follow and lower their prices too.
“We have seen that it is proven. We visited three supermarkets where the stocks are available, affordable, and accessible. There are both local and imported options,” Deogracias Savellano, Undersecretary for Livestock, DA stated.
The Department of Agriculture claims that pork prices can be lowered compared to the market price, which ranges from P420/kg. In a supermarket in Quezon City, the price of pork is only around P200/kg. But according to some consumers?
“For me, this isn’t cheap. It’s expensive, but there’s no choice because if you want something clean and fresh. Maybe P150 or P200, like the old prices? Yes, but I think nothing is cheap now,” MARINA, Consumer said.
Hence, Marina’s strategy is to make soup with a pork meat she buys from the supermarket just to make the dish many.
However, the management of a mall assures that there will be a supply of affordable pork and chicken for consumers.
“We won’t follow the price fluctuations of local and imported meat. Being in a retail-centric setting, stocks need to be available day in and day out,” Anthong Ng President, Northstar Meat Merchants, Inc. stressed.
While the prices of chicken and pork are cheaper in supermarkets, it’s the opposite in public markets.
Nancy’s chicken prices are significantly higher by P10 to P20 per kilo compared to other sellers.
“It’s supposed to be the heatstroke, the extreme heat, that prevents them from growing quickly. So, they are harvested early from the farm,” Nancy, Chicken Vendor expressed.
Meanwhile, pork prices range from P320/kg for kasim, pigue, and porkchop, while liempo is priced at P340/kg.
The DA admits that there is currently an increase in the farm gate price of pork.
“But the average pork price now should be P215, so adding P120 to P150 max, the price should be P340 to P360. Kasim should be priced at P323 to P340, while liempo should be priced at P318,” Asec. Arnel de Mesa, Spokesperson, DA stated.
In the DA’s price monitoring, pork prices still range from P300/kg to P420/kg in some markets in Metro Manila.
For vendor JR, it seems unlikely that pork prices will drop due to the high costs.
“In previous years, the heat was intense, and many piglets died. There’s also a shortage of live pigs. For us, it’s not feasible, but if farm prices drop, our prices in the market will also go down,” JR, Pork Vendor said.
Nevertheless, the Department of Agriculture will meet with pig and chicken farmers, as well as other stakeholders, to identify ways to reduce market prices.
But for now, the supply of pork and chicken remains sufficient in the country.
