Meat price cap not needed, insists DA

Significant results in the repopulation of hogs through this program could be observed in the last quarter of this year.

BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA)-Cordillera insisted it does not see the need to impose a price cap for meat products in Baguio City vendors sell at a great loss.

Instead, the agency expressed hope that the national hog repopulation program which is aimed at reviving the swine industry will help stabilize the prices of meat products in the country including Baguio City.

Significant results in the repopulation of hogs through this program could be observed in the last quarter of this year, the DA reported.

DA Cordillera Regional Technical Director for Operations Danilo Daguio said instead of imposing a price ceiling, the government should focus on restoring the sustainability of the meat supply.

A surge of pork prices has been observed in the country since January due to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) which has significantly reduced the hog population in farms as well as community quarantines due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.

At the city’s slaughterhouse, there are only about 100-150 hogs slaughtered per day during the lockdown, a far cry from the 300-400 hogs slaughtered per day prior to the health crisis.

In an effort to revive the country’s swine industry, the DA said it has recently launched the national hog repopulation program alongside the “Bantay sa ASF Barangay” program with an earmarked fund amounting to P29.6 billion. The said programs were piloted in Batangas City.

In the Cordillera Autonomous Region alone, P15 million has been earmarked for the region’s repopulation program where each province except Apayao is allocated a certain amount.

At the heels of the swine disaster, the Baguio City council brought up the idea of temporarily allowing hog raising in the city to help augment the supply of pork on top of the approved plans of the national government.