A HOG industry player said Davao City will not be able to supply enough pork to African Swine Fever (ASF)-stricken provinces once they decide to source out raw materials for processed pork products here.
“Dili na makaya pag diri mag source [out]. Ang stocks o ang supply diri sa Davao kulang man gani sa Davao (Local sources will not be able to supply their demand. The supply of hog in Davao is not even enough for its own needs),” Luchay Kabigting, Meat vendor and adviser for Bankerohan Meat Vendor Association, said. She also gets pork from General Santos City.
In a Philippine Star report on October 30, the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) has reportedly discouraged the meat processing industry to buy pork from Luzon as raw material for their processed meat products since it may be from swine with ASF.
The group is said to have stopped all purchases of pork materials from local producers until there are clear policies on movement, distribution, and sale of processed pork products available.
Kabigting said the prices of pork may also rise if there is an increase IN demand.
“Kung diri na manguha, wala, mumahal ang baboy (If they source from us, the price of pork may increase),” she said.
For his part, Alvin Teves, past president of Hog Farmers Association of Davao, Inc. (HogFADI), said with the number of hog farmers and groups in Mindanao, it may be able to supply the demands in Luzon.
Some of the groups he mentioned in a text message to Sun.Star Davao are the HogFADI, South Cotabato Swine Producers Association (Socospa), Koronadal Valley Livestock Growers Multipurpose Cooperative (Kovalico), and North Mindanao Hogs (Normin).
“[The] Entire Mindanao hog farmers can supply through the associations. MakiG-coordinate sila. Sufficient ang supply,” he said.
However, Kabigting also cautioned that the possible increase in demand might be abused by hog raisers by raising the cost of live pigs.
She said the steep price given by abusive hog raisers compelled the government to import pork from other countries.
“Paglingkod ni Digong [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] walay imported. Nganong naay nahitabo nga naay importation? Nag abuso man ang mga hog raiser pataka rag presyo. Ang baboy dapat okay ra na siyag P100, niabot man silag P120 to P123 ang kilo sa live (When President Duterte became president there was no importation of pork. How come now there is importation of pork? Some hog farmers are taking advantage of the situation and raising prices. The price of live pig was usually at P100, now it goes as high as P120 to P123 per kilogram),” she said.
She said some hog raisers did not heed the suggestion of Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Emmanuel Pinol to keep their prices to P115 per kilo.
She added the importation may have allowed the entry of ASF in the country.
However, Teves said the current farm-gate price of live hogs is between P103 to P106 per kilogram.