For the president of the United Broiler Raisers Association, Bong Inciong, the government, the pig farmers, and the poultry farmers do not seem to understand each other.
He said it is clear that the implementation of the price ceiling is a shortage of chicken and pork supply, but the DA insists that there is an oversupply of chicken.
“The stakeholders apparently exist in a different dimension… on planet earth, and the [DA] in the Marvel Comics Universe,” said Inciong.
“We must be able to increase the supply, help the consumer, without discouraging production,” he added.
For the president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Chester Tan, the raw materials they use have no suggested retail price (SRP) or no price ceiling.
So instead of a long-term solution, it seems that the government is only implementing a band-aid solution due to lack of supply.
“Huwag naman masyadong i-suppress or babaan yung presyo ng producers, kasi hindi po ito nakaka-encourage ng kanilang mga business. In the end po, yung long-term solution na magparami po ay hindi po ito matutuloy,” Tan explained.
DA, pig and poultry farmers don’t understand each other – group
In other countries, he said, pork prices have tripled, as in China, but in the Philippines, it is only double.
He also said that there should be a floor-ceiling to protect producers against the very low prices of pork and chicken.
SINAG chairman Rosendo So revealed that 70 percent of the pig stock in Luzon has been lost due to the closure of pig farms, and many have been given separation pay and are now relying on the government to help them.
It is said that a freight subsidy or assistance should be given to the cost of transporting pigs from General Santos City and the Visayas to Manila to lower the price, So.
It will be recalled that on Monday, Dar said that the government will bear the P30 per kilo freight cost of pigs from the aforementioned areas.
To their surprise, for the first time, the DA itself requested that there be a reduction in the tariff on imported pigs and poultry.