By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) denied reports that there is a shortage of pork ahead of the holiday season, although they affirmed that there are currently several issues with regards to the province’s poultry products.
PVO head Dr. Renante Decena said in terms of breeding, Negros Occidental has a lot of supply of hogs as they release in market hubs in Luzon as well as in the neighboring islands of Cebu and Panay.
At present, the price of pork in Negros Occidental also remains stable at P250 to P260 per kilo.
“So ang ginapaguwa naton is gadalagan 8,000 to 10,000 a month, and subong ga-increase na ang presyo sa Luzon mga P160 to P170, so that is why damo kita buyer nga gakadto diri,” Decena explained.
He pointed out local producers are capable of balancing the current supply of hogs in the province.
As for the supply of chicken, Decena said they currently have problems with the supply of available feed which recently had a price increase followed by breeder farms which also faced other issues last year.
He affirmed that several local integrators have slowed down which ultimately caused a hike in the price of broilers.
However, Decena said the supply of free range chicken can compensate with the supply, as Negros Occidental has the most number of chickens in Western Visayas with a population of 3 to 5 million.
Decena also said Negros Occidental is the one supplying the backyard-raised hogs to Negros Oriental, whereas Negros Oriental supplies the native or black pigs which are the preferred choice for making lechon or roast pig.
“The movement is affecting supply, so the same man na sa mga chicken kasi ang white chicken or broiler gadalagan na 1.5 million kada bulan ang consumption sang Negros Occidental,” Decena explained.
He also affirmed that poultry integrators coming from Cebu and Cagayan de Oro are also helping in supplying chicken in Negros Occidental alongside three local chicken integrators in the province.
As to their price monitoring, Decena said they are expecting a price hike in the coming days due to demand brought by the recent downgrading of the province’s COVID-19 alert level, as well as the relaxation of social gatherings.
“Ang mga gatipon-tipon damo na so damo man [ga pangita] pagkaon, so it would further increase demand,” he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, a local proprietor from one of the lechon stalls located in Bacolod City’s Barangay 36 said they are expecting a hike in the price of lechon in the coming days as the holiday season gets nearer.
They also claimed that there may be possible shortages by next month sometime around December 15 onwards.
The price of lechon currently runs at a minimum of P4,500, however, the price could spike by around P5,000 during the holiday season./DGB, WDJ