Justified pricing of pork
The price of pork has been increasing due to low supply brought about by the African swine fever that wiped out 4.5 million pigs since its outbreak in 2019.
Pork is sold at P350 to P380 a kilo, reason why the government imposed a 60-day price cap at P270 to P300 a kilo on Feb 8.
As a result, retailers staged a “pork holiday” to protest the price ceilings, claiming it is not gainful to sell pork anymore and they could hardly get supply from pig raisers.
An acceptable price for pork should be computed, factoring in the cost of production, handling, retailing, and reasonable margins along the supply chain, translated into a kilo basis and be presented to satisfy the public.
The hog industry needs to be repopulated following good production practices with substantial government support to ensure adequate supply instead of importing pork products. Smuggling must stop since it is detrimental to the pork trade and spreads diseases that damage piggeries and adversely affects human health. — PERCIVAL B. ALIPIT, Baguio City