BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) dismissed reports that there is a shortage of pork ahead of the holiday season, although it admitted several issues haunt the poultry supply.
According to Dr. Renante Decena, PVO head, Negros Occidental has an ample supply of hogs, evident in the number of swine heads they release in markets hubs in Luzon as well as the neighboring islands of Cebu and Panay.
“Ang ginapaguwa naton is gadalagan 8,000 to 10,000 (swine heads) monthly, and subong ga-increase na ang presyo sa Luzon – mga P160 to P170, so that is why damo kita buyer nga gakadto diri,” Decena said.
Presently, the price of pork in Negros Occidental also remained stable at P250 to P260 per kilogram.
Decena pointed out that Negrense producers are capable of balancing the current supply of hogs.
The province also supplies backyard-raised hogs to Negros Oriental while the latter supplies native or black pigs for lechon-making.
As to the supply of chicken, Decena said they have concerns with the supply of feed, especially with the recent price increase.
He said 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 could meet the demand. Negros Occidental has the most number of chickens in Western Visayas with a population of three to five million, he said.
He also affirmed that poultry integrators from Cebu and Cagayan de Oro supply chicken to Negros Occidental alongside three of such in the province.
As to the price monitoring, Decena said they are expecting a price hike in the coming days due to the demand brought by the recent downgrading of the province to coronavirus disease Alert Level 2.
“Ang mga gatipon-tipon damo na so damo man [gapangita] pagkaon, so it would further increase demand,” he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, a proprietor of a lechon stall in Barangay 36 said they were expecting a hike in the price of lechon in the coming days as the holiday season draws near.
The price of lechon currently hovers at a minimum of P4,500, however, the price could spike by around P5,000 during the holiday season./PN