April 30, 2009
Philippine hog industry feels the pinch from swine flu
The Philippine hog industry has been hit by the swine flu scare as prices of pork have dropped by PHP10 (US$0.205) per kilogramme due to low demand, Department of Agriculture assistant secretary Salvador S. Salacup said.
This despite assurances from the international health experts that the lethal flu strain cannot be transmitted from eating pork as it is transmitted from human to human.
Prices of pork shoulder cut dropped to PHP160 from PHP170 per kilogramme while the price of pork belly slipped to PHP180 from PHP190 per kilogramme.
National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. chairman Renato R. Eleria said the impact of the swine flu and farm prices of pork produced in commercial and backyard farms remained at PHP99 to PHP100 per kilogramme and PHP94 to PHP99 per kilogramme, respectively.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted through food and that meat is safe to consume.
Meanwhile, hog producers in Central Mindanao are reeling from an initial dip in domestic pork demand but expressed optimism on market improvement soon with government efforts to educate the public on swine flu, according to an industry leader.
South Cotabato Swine Producers Association president Emilio V. Escobillo, Jr. also appeared upbeat as state animal experts are addressing concerns on another hog disease - Ebola Reston - that temporarily stalled the country's pilot foreign pork shipment last December.
Matutum Meat Packing Corp. sales and marketing officer Cathy M. Romero said demand for pork meat also plunged but declined to attribute it to the swine flu scare.
Matutum Meat operates a PHP200-million modern swine slaughtering facility in neighbouring Polomolok, South Cotabato, and distributes fresh and frozen cut pork meat products to domestic market.
Last December, cut pork meat products to be transported to Singapore were stopped due to the discovery of Ebola Reston in pig tissue samples coming from four swine farms in the provinces of Bulacan, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.
US$1 = PHP48.394 (Apr 30)
