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AFTER
soaring gas prices, then those of rice and bread,
consumers now face a new burden, as prices of meat
continue to rise.
Agriculture Undersecretary Salvador Salakub revealed at
the weekend that the selling price of chicken, pork and
galunggong recently shot up as high as P20 per kilo over
the past two weeks.
From the
previous selling price of P150, a kilo of pork is now
sold at P170 to P180 per kilo, he told the Tinapayan sa
Forbes forum.
In the
case of chicken, a P5-upsurge occurred, pegging the new
price at P120 a kilo.
Factors
cited for the recent increase include a severe disease
outbreak among hogs; high grain prices; and a search by
consumers for cheaper meat products along a general
upward trend in meat consumption.
“The
outbreak of hog diseases in the last quarter had a huge
impact on pork prices,” Salakub said. “High grain prices
and the increase in pork price have ramifications for
other livestock sectors, too, as consumers switch to
alternate meats in response to high pork prices.”
The
selling prices of galunggong also increased, with higher
gas prices tagged as the culprit.
“Fishing
is an oil-reliant industry,” he said. “Fishermen need
fuel to power boats, and to run the vehicles that will
bring the catch to the market.”
As some
comfort, meanwhile, the agriculture undersecretary
revealed that the price of rice is beginning to decline
as local farmers are now beginning to harvest their
crops.
“The
government is now trying to be self-sufficient in rice.
The master plan is 95-percent rice self-sufficiency in
2009 or 2010, and possibly 100 percent in 2011,” Salakub
added. |
