EVEN with the approaching Christmas season, the prevailing average market prices of meat products such as beef, pork and chicken in Negros Occidental have decreased, latest monitoring of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) showed.
The PVO noted a P1.43 drop in the price of carabeef, from P211.79 per kilo in September to P210.36 per kilo last month. Price of beef products also decreased by P1.57, from the previous average price of P214.38 per kilo to P212.81 per kilo at present.
1The prevailing average price of dressed chicken among markets in the province is P144.84 per kilo, a decrease of P0.94 from P145.78 in the last two months.
The price of pork also dropped, by P0.31 per kilo. From an average market price of P186.72 per kilo, the product is currently sold at an average of P186.41 per kilo.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said that on top of supply and demand relationship, the downward movement in the prices of these commodities is mainly attributed to the current scenario among auction markets in the province.
Decena said that in auction markets, like those in Kabankalan City, prices are dictated by conniving traders and buyers resulting to losses on the part of the producers.
“Prices should be auctioned and the local government should peg the price, not the buyers,” Decena said, adding that the provincial government is now working with buyers in the province to solve the problem.
“Consumers can only benefit a decrease of more than P2 per kilo, but these devious buyers gain big by selling the products outside the province for not less P110 per kilo from a market price of only P80,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PVO projects sufficient meat supply in the province until December when demand for meat products is high.
Decena said the province currently has surplus in supply of pork, beef and chicken.
It is only deficit in eggs, he said.
The average market price of eggs in Negros Occidental has increased by P0.4 to P0.9 per piece depending on the size, Decena added.