Agri dept urged to subsidize hog shipments for sellers to meet price cap

MANILA - An agriculture group on Tuesday urged the government to subsidize the transport of hogs from Visayas and Mindanao to Luzon so that for retailers to meet the price cap.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Monday Executive Order No. 124 which sets a price ceiling of P270 per kilogram for kasim and pigue, P300 per kilogram for liempo, and 160 per kilogram for dressed chicken in the National Capital Region for 60 days.

• Duterte sets price cap on pork, chicken
• IATF orders 'unhampered' hog shipments as pork prices rise

Majority of Luzon's stock comes from Visayas and General Santos City after Luzon lost some 70 percent of its hogs, said Rosendo So, chairperson of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG).

"Hinihingi natin yung transportation subsidy around P30. Pag binigay ni Secretary yun makakatulong," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(We ask for a P30 transportation subsidy. If the Secretary can give it, it would help.)

"'Yun ang reality. Kami nga rito sa Pangasinan galing Bisaya ang stocks namin. Sinasabi nating tataas ang presyo dahil malayo."

(That's the reality. Our stocks here in Pangasinan come from Visayas. The prices are high because the stocks come from afar.)

Retailers fear they would go out of business as they sell liempo for P390 and pigue for P370, said Ricky Delgado, a pork dealer in Quinta market.

"Matumal pa rin po kasi mataas pa rin po. Sa ngayon po sa tingin ko bababa yan pero sa presyo na binigay nila mukhang di magatatama kasi ang puhunan namin mas mataas pa sa binibigay nilang price ceiling," he said.

(Sales are slack because the prices are high, it might decrease but not to the price they gave because our capital is higher than the price ceiling.)

"Wala hong may ayaw dyan kasi dadami ulit ang customer,
maipaliwanag lang nila kung saan galing ang presyo."

(No one dislikes it because it would lead to more customers, we just want them to explain where it came from.)