The provincial government of Aklan is now worried that there may be a shortage of pork supply if the higher demand for the product in Manila continues.
Concerns arose when the provincial council held a public hearing on the issue after learning for the first time that some local pig traders were already supplying Manila.
The demand for pork has increased in the National Capital Region after the African swine fever (ASF) infected many pigs in Luzon and even in the Eastern Visayas.
According to data from the Provincial Veterinarian Office, in 2020, only 4,821 pigs will be released in Aklan for the residents of Iloilo and Capiz.
As of January 2021 alone, up to 1,821 pigs have been released and most of them are heading to Manila.
The province of Aklan is currently restricting the entry of pork or even processed meat to prevent ASF in Aklan based on the executive order issued by Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores.
Meanwhile, according to Soviet Dela Cruz, chair of the committee on agriculture of the Provincial Council, the supply in Aklan is also needed to meet the tourism demand on Boracay Island.
Also read: Duterte orders 60-day price caps pork, chicken meat – Go
Aklan LGU fears pork supply shortage
Earlier, Agriculture Sec William Dar announced that the implementation of the price cap on pork and chicken will be moved on February 8, 20221 to ensure that the country has an adequate supply.
He said the EO also needs time to get published and to sell all of the vendors’ stocks.
Under EO 124, the price of pork and kasim is set at P270 per kilo, while liempo should be up to P300 per kilo.
The price of chicken was also lowered to P160 per kilo under the EO, which will last for 2 months.
According to Dar, based on their calculations, the farmgate price of pork in General Santos City is P145, and the production cost is P124.79 per kilo. So, the sellers are still earning a P15.28 or 11.78 percent mark-up.
If the factor of African swine fever (ASF) is added to the computation, the adjusted farmgate price is said to be P200 per kilo.