LOW supply is driving up the prices of beef and pork among markets in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported on Tuesday, July 25.

Based on the Weekly Market Price Monitoring of PVO, the prevailing average price of beef is P238 per kilogram.

It is higher by P6.71 compared to last week’s price of P231.29 per kilogram, it showed.

The PVO also noted a significant surge in the price of chevon, or goat meat. From P279.44, the commodity currently costs P286.11 per kilogram, with an increase P6.67.

Carabao meat (carabeef) registered an increase of P0.40 per kilogram. From an average price of P221.43 per kilogram, it went up to P231.29 per kilogram.

An increase of P1.26 per kilogram was also noted in the price of pork.

Average price of the commodity among local markets is P194.07 per kilogram, higher than the P192.81 per kilogram during the third week of the month, the PVO reported.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena on Tuesday said that low supply accompanied by high demand is driving up the prices of animal products in the province.

“The low supply is triggered by the increase in outgoing shipments of live cattle and pig, including those from various livestock markets,” Decena pointed out.

Among the local government units in the province, Bacolod City registered the highest price of carabeef, at P240 per kilogram.

In terms of beef, PVO’s monitoring further showed that markets in Escalante City have the highest price, at P300 per kilogram.

E.B. Magalona and Talisay City have the highest price of chevon, P350 per kilogram while Kabankalan City registered the highest price of pork, P300 per kilogram.

Decena said the prices in every city and municipality vary depending on the transport and handling cost of the commodity from the location of slaughterhouses or livestock auction markets where the meat is being sourced to its selling point.