Duterte orders 60-day price cap on pork, chicken in NCR

BY GENALYN KABILING

President Duterte has ordered the imposition of a 60-day price ceiling on pork and chicken in Metro Manila in a bid to curb further spike in the cost of these meat products.

An executive order authorizing the price cap on chicken and pork products sold in Metro Manila has been signed by the President, according to Sen. Christopher Go.

The Palace has yet to release a copy of the President’s latest directive.

The Department of Agriculture had earlier recommended to the President to impose the price ceiling of P270 per kilogram for kasim and pigue, P300 per kilogram for liempo, and P160 per kilogram for chicken meat in Metro Manila for 60 days.

According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the proposed price ceiling would prevent the further spike in the retail prices of pork and chicken.

Dar has also warned unscrupulous traders against taking advantage of the tight supply of hogs and unreasonably raising prices of such items. A sub-task group has been activated to guard against any manipulation of supply and prices of food products at the expense of consumers.

The department earlier recognized there has been a limited supply of hogs in Central Luzon due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) since the early part of 2019. Dar alleged that some traders and wholesalers were causing the spike in the prices of pork.

“They are making a large profit margin of more than P200 per kilo, between the farmgate price of live hogs and the retail price of pork in public markets,” he said during a recent public briefing on state television.