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From November to December this year, weekly shipments to Luzon will be increased to 27,000 to 30,000 heads of hogs
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San Miguel Corp. eyes hiking Mindanao “pork-in-a-box” shipments to four container vans or 48 metric tons per week
Consumers in Metro Manila may soon see more pork for sale at lower prices at public markets as increased shipments of live hogs and frozen carcass are set to be shipped out from Visayas and Mindanao to Luzon.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and representatives of the country’s hog industry have agreed to “heighten shipments” of hogs and frozen carcass or “pork-in-a-box” from Visayas and Mindanao to address the current low supply and artificially high prices of pork in Luzon.
“We will elevate our partnerships with hog producers and traders, ship owners and operators, and local government officials in Visayas and Mindanao to supply Metro Manila and Luzon with hogs and frozen pork, and eventually bring down prices for the benefit of consumers,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement.
From November up to December this year, weekly shipments will be increased to a range of 27,000 to 30,000 heads of hogs coming from the main ports of Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro, said Dar. The secretary recently chaired a virtual meeting of DA undersecretaries, major hog producers, and DA regional directors in Visayas and Mindanao to address the issue.
Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. during the meeting said it is targeting to hike shipments of “pork-in-a-box” to four container vans of 12 metric tons (MT) each or a total of 48 MT per week from Mindanao.
DA regional directors in the Visayas said shipments of live hogs will also come from Cebu, Iloilo, and Leyte.
Dar said the concerted effort will greatly boost the dwindling supply of pork in Luzon, noting that the shortage is due to the depopulation of hog farms infected with African Swine Fever.
“This is a problem of logistics—including sourcing, distribution, and marketing—which we can address without difficulty. All we ask is the full cooperation of key players in the entire hog industry value chain,” Dar said.
He added that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has committed to work with shipping companies to increase the number and frequency of vessels plying the routes from Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Davao, and other major ports in Visayas and Mindanao bound for Manila and other Luzon ports.
Further, the DA chief said the suggested retail price for pork and other pork products is also being reviewed. As of now, prices of pork in selected supermarkets are much lower than in wet markets in Metro Manila.
He has tasked DA undersecretary for consumer affairs Ernesto Gonzales to oversee this undertaking, assisted by the DA Vis-Min regional directors, officials of the Bureau of Animal Industry and National Meat Inspection Service, and major hog producers.
