February 23, 2021

 

General Santos, Philippines, monitors poultry production amid declining supply

 

 

The government of General Santos City, the Philippines, is closely monitoring operations of poultry farms in the city as prices of chicken meat have continued to increase in the local markets reportedly due to dwindling supply.

 

Dr. Antonio Ephrem Marin, head of the City Veterinary Office, said on February that the office is working with poultry producers to sustain the delivery of chicken meat in markets to prevent their prices from further increasing.

 

Citing their monitoring, he said the prices of dressed chicken and meat cuts in the area now range from PHP170 (US$3.49) to PHP180 (US$3.70) per kilo, up from PHP130 (US$2.67) to P140 (US$2.88) per kilo late last year.

 

The prevailing prices, which reach PHP195 (US$4) to PHP200 (US$4.11) per kilo in other areas, are way higher than the suggested retail price of PHP146 (US$3) a kilo for whole chicken that was set late last month by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12.

 

Marin said the entire Mindanao, including General Santos, has been experiencing a supply shortage in chicken meat due to declining production by local poultry farms.

 

He said the situation was mainly due to the limited arrival of replacement breeders since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year.

 

The restrained movement triggered by the lockdowns or community quarantine and other control measures affected the delivery of the breeders from Luzon to Mindanao, he said.

 

"As a result, the remaining breeder farms were not able to supply enough day-old chicks to our growers," Marin said.

 

The official said concerned government agencies are already addressing the situation.

 

He said they are hoping that more replacement breeders will arrive in the coming months to replenish the stocks in poultry farms in General Santos and other parts of Mindanao.

 

The city, along with South Cotabato province, supplies the bulk of the chicken requirements of Region 12 (Soccksargen), hosting three of the biggest poultry dressing plants in the area.

 

- Philippines News Agency