Philippine group seeks suggested retail prices for chicken

 

 

A group of broilers urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday (March 9) to come out with suggested retail prices for chicken to temper price increases in Philippines.

 

Union of Broilers and Raiser Association president Gregorio A. San Diego, Jr. noted that while the farm-gate price of chicken had dropped to PHP58 as of Monday from PHP68 a week ago, retail prices of dressed chicken remained high.

 

This, San Diego said, is turning off consumers who are already cutting down on their expenses.

 

"There is a disconnection in the farm-gate prices and the retail price. Demand is weak so the wet markets are increasing their prices to offset the lackluster demand without realizing that this is driving away consumers," another poultry industry official said.

 

Data from the Bureau of Agriculture Statistics showed that a whole chicken was being sold at PHP130 as of last Saturday. Prices of whole chicken reached PHP140 in January despite the continuous drop in farm-gate prices.

 

On the other hand, the hog industry is expecting stable supply for the entire year.

 

National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. chairman Zosimo J. de Leon said pork prices have remained stable at PHP180/kg for more than a month now.

 

"The price has remained steady and this is an indication that there is enough supply to match the demand even for peak months like March and April due to the fiestas," de Leon said.

 

Both the hog and poultry industries said they were not affected by the El Niño-induced dry spell, which is why they are not expecting any shortfall in production this year.

 

Attached agencies of DA expect the country to end the year with a broiler and swine surplus. The agencies expect broiler production to go up by 15% to 549 million birds this year. Hog production, meanwhile, is expected to increase by 4.4% to 1.95 million tonnes.

 

Assuming that demand will remain steady, the country may end the year with a surplus of 80,000 tonnes of broiler and 73,000 tonnes of pork, according to reports.