AVERAGE prices of most animal products in Negros Occidental have increased, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported yesterday.
Weekly Prevailing Market Price Monitoring Report released by PVO on Nov. 23 showed that price of carabeef went up by P1.01 per kilogram.
From only P226.10 per kilogram on the second week of November, it increased to P227.11 per kilogram last week.
PVO noted an increase of P0.36 per kilogram on the price of beef. From P232.90 per kilogram, average price of the commodity rose to P233.26 per kilogram.
Pork also registered an increase of P0.28 per kilogram. From P195.55 per kilogram, the prevailing price moved up to P195.83 per kilogram.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said the “slight” increases in the price of beef and pork are attributed to high prices of seafood products like shrimp, crabs and fish, among others.
The high cost of seafood commodities drives up demand of livestock products thus, prices of the latter will move upward, he said.
“Demand for animal products increases especially in the First and Sixth Districts,” Decena said, adding that transportation cost due to increase in fuel cost also affects the price as products are transported from the sources to the dressing plant.
The PVO report further showed that average prices of beef and pork in the First District are P237.50 and P186 per kilogram, respectively.
The First District comprises the cities of San Carlos and Escalante, and the towns of Salvador Benedicto, Calatrava and Toboso.
In the Sixth District, with cities of Kabankalan and Sipalay, and towns of Ilog, Candoni, Cauayan and Hinoba-an, average prices of beef and pork are P235 and P195.83 per kilogram, respectively.
PVO noted a decrease of P0.14 per kilogram in the average price of dressed broiler chicken. From P155.44, it went down to P155.30 per kilogram.
Statistically, the decrease in centavos is insignificant since the weekly price comparison includes 32 local governments, Decena pointed out.
He said that possible increases loom in the prices of animal products in the province as the Christmas holiday approaches.