Price freeze on pork, chicken to start Feb. 8
MB – Published February 2, 2021, 3:24 PM
Group slams ‘unfair’ exception on supermarkets
The 60-day price freeze on pork and chicken will take effect in public markets on next week, Monday, according to Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“The price ceiling will be effectively be enforced by February 8, 2021,” Dar said during a House hearing on the rising food prices on Tuesday, February 2.
President Duterte has signed the Executive Order No 124, which imposed a price cap on pork and chicken products in Metro Manila for two months.
Based on the DA’s recommendation, the ceiling was placed at P270 per kilogram for pork kasim and pigue; P300/kg for pork belly (liempo); and P160/kg for dressed chicken.
In the House hearing, Dar said that while the EO said the prize freeze should be implemented immediately following publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper, the government is giving stakeholders time to adjust to the mandated price ceiling.
“The price ceiling is now place but we are giving chance for everyone to understand na ito ay (that this is only) temporary at for two months [only],” he said.
“Para (So that) everyone is going to adjust, at meron naman tayong sense na mayroon nang nabili itong mataas na presyo (and we have sensed that they have already bought products at a higher cost)…we’ll give them until Monday. So effective Monday…ay ‘yong (the) instrumentalites of government will now start implementing in a big way, properly, itong (this) price freeze,” he added.
Only in public markets
Dar, however, clarified that the price cap will only apply to pork and chicken products being sold in public markets. Supermarkets in the National Capital Region will not be covered by the EO, he said.
“Baka tatanungin po ninyo bakit hindi pa isama ang supermarket? Eh ito naman ay may option ang mga mamimili. Kung mas gusto niya ay mas mababa — eh mas mataas sa supermarket — eh, di pumunta siya sa public market,” he explained.
(You will ask us why did we not include supermarkets? This gives the consumers a choice. If they want cheaper products — when prices are higher in supermarkers — then they should just go to the public markets.)
“It’s now the consuming public that will decide,” he said.
Dar said the DA, anyway, has already received reports that a “good number of supermarkets [are] selling pork much lower than the wet markets.”
Rosendo So of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) questioned this position.
“Kawawa naman ‘yong mga nagbebenta ng isang kilo, dalawang kilo sa public markets, ‘yon ang gusto nilang hulihin (Vendors in public markets selling a kilo, or two, will be at a disadvantaged, that is who they are going after). Pero ang malalaking supermarket, okay lang (But when it comes to big supermarkets, it’s okay to sell at higher prices)?,” So stated.
“I think that is not fair,” he lamented.
Hog raisers and other industry players have complained of the “very low” the price cap imposed by the government, saying it will affect their profit and will not encourage producers to expand their businesses. They also opposed the DA’s proposal to lower tariffs on pork imports.
Alyansa Agrikultura chair Ernesto Ordoñez also told the House panel that P270-P300 price ceilings were “not consistent” with approved resolution of the National Price Coordinating Council, which supposedly recommended that a suggested retail price (SRP) be imposed instead of a price cap “for more flexibility”.
The groups said they were not consulted before the price cap was recommended to President Duterte.
Dar, on the other hand, maintained that the prices set were not baseless and said that hog raisers will continue to have profit.
SOURCE: https://mb.com.ph/2021/02/02/price-freeze-on-pork-chicken-to-start-feb-8/
