Friday, August 03, 2007 Pork prices cause sales dip
THE decline in revenues of meat vendors cannot be entirely blamed on hog cholera.
Meat vendors at Carbon Market said their sales went down mainly because of high price of pork.
Rumors of hog diseases may have caused some consumers to hesitate in buying pork, but Cebu City United Vendors’ Association chairperson Maria Pino said this did not have a big effect on the vendors’ earnings.
Conception Reynes, a meat vendor for 40 years, said her business is suffering due to low earnings but this is not caused by reports of hog cholera.
“Gibawi man dayon nila nga di makadaot sa tao,” Reynes said. (There were reports to assure the public about the safety of local meat.)
At P135 to P140 per kilo, low-income consumers may find pork to be too much of a luxury they can hardly afford.
Pino said sales in pork meat are also seasonal and this is a low time for pork.
Another meat vendor at Carbon, Emil Bacariza, 43, said sales go up usually during pay day of most employees.
Lydia Alesna, 39, said the location of their stores also affect earnings. She said many consumers prefer to buy meat from the supermarket because they fear pickpockets in public markets.
Carbon Market meat vendors earn about P200 to P300 even if their stalls open from 1 a.m. to noon, compared to their average total daily earnings of P500 to P800 two to three years ago.
Department of Agriculture 7 Director Eduardo Lecciones said Cebu is safe from hog diseases.
“We are very fortunate here in Cebu kay dili ta apektado ana,” Lecciones told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.
Lecciones said hog cholera has only affected farms in Bulacan while those in Visayas and Mindanao are safe.
He said contaminated meat mostly come from “backyard raisers” with improper sanitation and not so much from the piggery establishments.
Pork vendors at Carbon Market are supplied by farms in Cebu, Bohol, Oriental Negros and Davao, among others.
Despite this, Lecciones said the DA continues monitor and inspect hogs imported to Cebu and other areas in Central Visayas, not only for hog cholera but also for food and mouth disease.
“We’re very vigilant with quarantine and our surveillance,” Lecciones said.
Alister Fuentes, 29, said he hopes none of the diseases will affect Cebu as this would affect their livelihood.
“Mao ra baya ni among pan-ginabuhian,” he said. (This is our only source of income.) (TEP)
