October 16, 2008

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) through the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has allotted US$10.14 million (P500 million) to establish integrated meat plants for safe meat production.

The integrated meat facilities will include all postproduction process from slaughtering, cutting, chilling and storing of meat. These plants will make pork products cheaper as production will become cost-efficient, according to the NMIS. 

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap had directed NMIS officials to identify the possible site areas for the facilities which will start construction in December and finish in the second semester of 2009. NMIS said ideal sites for integrated plants are those that grow raw materials for feed production like corn.

The department had noted the huge gap in the retail prices of pork products since the liveweight price of hogs is at a range of only P65 to P85 per kilo, while pork products are sold for as much as P180 per kilo in wet markets.

Recently, the DA had pegged the "reference price" for pork products from P140 to P150 per kilogram at the retail level following consultation with various stakeholders from the hog industry.

Earlier, hog raisers led by the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. complained that apart from the weakening purchasing power of Filipinos, the high price of pork products at the retail level are discouraging consumers from eating pork.