June 3, 2008

Philippine government assures stable pork, chicken supply but prices seen up

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday (June 2) has guaranteed consumers that there are enough supply of pork, chicken and other meat products to meet demand as imports would cover present or potential supply-demand gaps.

DA Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said domestic production during the first quarter of the year totalled 30,038 tonnes for cattle; 442,695 tonnes for hogs; and 338,482 tonnes for chicken.

Salacup however said retail prices have inched up "mainly due to increased prices of feed ingredients of which a substantial portion are imported, such as soymeal, bone meal, fishmeal, calcium and other minerals."

In 2007, total cattle production reached 236,871 tonnes; hogs, 1,886,005 tonnes; and chicken, 1,211,623 tonnes, he said.

Director Carlos Mendoza of the Livestock Development Council reported, meanwhile, that pork imports totalled 79,381 tonnes last year and another 7,268 tonnes over the January-March 2008 period while that of chicken totalled 45,075 tonnes last year and 4,325 tonnes more in the year's first quarter.

Beef imports totalled 58,334 tonnes in 2007 and 4,511 tonnes more in the three months to March 2008, he added, while buffalo imports reached 61,999 tonnes last year and another 6,394 tonnes in the past quarter.

Though pork supply is tight, Mendoza said, there is no shortage as "increased demand is covered by existing inventory."

"Current efforts by the private sector to re-stock breeder gilts would further normalize pork production towards the end of the year and early next year," he said.

Mendoza said chicken production will even grow by 4 percent during the first quarter of 2008.