TACLOBAN CITY (PIA) – Although the region is not included in the Department of Agriculture’s price cap, pork in wet markets in the region remains within the maximum suggested retail price.
In regular monitoring by the agriculture department in the region, pork has yet to exceed P380 per kilo, even as it faces challenges from the declining number of hog raisers due to fears of African swine fever and the high cost of feed.
Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces are still on the Bureau of Animal Industry’s list of areas with active ASF cases.
According to Francisco Rosaroso, chief of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division of the Department of Agriculture Region 8, swine supply in Eastern Visayas currently comes mostly from other regions, such as Mindanao.
“Exporting from other regions has caused pork prices to increase. However, it is good to note that most of our vendors have set prices within the suggested retail price, although the price cap does not apply here in the region at the moment,” Rosaroso said.
In statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority for February 2025, a higher inflation rate for meat and other parts of slaughtered animals was observed at 3.9% compared with 1.1% in January.
Pork sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets tends to have a higher price per kilo due to higher operating costs.
As for the presence of ASF, the DA said it continues to institute various measures such as government-controlled vaccination and strict border checkpoints to stop the spread of animal diseases.
The DA is also evaluating existing layers of hog production and assessing the overall cost structure from farm gate to retail prices that cause pork prices to spike. (ACR/PIA Leyte)
