January 22, 2025

High pork prices force consumers in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, Philippines to look to fish

Consumers in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, the Philippines, are resorting to alternative foods like fish and vegetables amid the high price of pork.

San Jose de Buenavista Municipal Economic Enterprise and Development Office (MEEDO) head Darcy Bungay said on January 16 that the scarcity of pork supply resulted in soaring prices at the Dalipe Trade town, ranging from ₱400 (US$7.14) to ₱420 (US$7.50)  per kilogramme, from only ₱380 (US$6.79) to ₱400 (US$7.14) per kg last month.

"We are still feeling the lingering effect of the African swine fever (ASF), aside from the high demand for pork due to the festivals in our neighboring provinces," Bungay said in an interview.

He said swine raisers opted to sell their produce to traders from Iloilo, Aklan, and even Cebu City at ₱230 (US$4.11) per kg. for live weight, higher than the ₱200 (US$3.57) per kg offered by local traders. Currently, they could hardly meet the average 26 to 30 heads they used to slaughter at the municipal slaughterhouse in a day, Bungay added.

"As a consequence, consumers opt to buy fish such as mackerel tuna or other species that are only being sold for ₱150 (US$2.68) to ₱350 (US$6.25)  per kg," he said.

In a separate interview, Antique Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office Public Health Division chief Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil said hog raisers affected by ASF received their sentinel animal of 131 heads in December last year.

"We hope that San Jose de Buenavista will remain negative of ASF so that additional piglets will be distributed by the Department of Agriculture to the swine raisers, and the hog industry in the municipality can recover," Ardamil said.

- PNA