Demand for dressed chicken in the Philippines was on the rise just days before the Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed the outbreak of bird flu in San Luis, Pampanga.
Data from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) indicated a brisk demand for chicken, as inventory in local cold storages as of August 7 dropped by 15.5 percent to 17,306.32 metric tons (MT), from 20,483.32 MT recorded on July 31.
On an annual basis, the volume was slightly higher than the 17,289.65 MT recorded in the same period last year.
The bulk of the chicken inventory, or about 51.46 percent, consisted of imports. Imported chicken reached 8,906.48 MT, 15.45 percent lower than the 10,534.68 MT recorded a year ago.
Locally produced chicken reached 8,399.85 MT, 25.64 percent lower than the 11,296.94 MT posted a week ago. The figure, however, was 24.35 percent higher than last year’s record of 6,754.98 MT
NMIS data showed that 42.56 percent of locally produced dressed-chicken volume was in cold storages in Central Luzon. The region’s inventory of locally produced chicken was pegged at 3,574.94 MT, 6.06 percent higher than the 3,370.66 MT recorded a week ago.
Earlier, the United Broiler Raisers Association (Ubra) said sales fell by as much as 50 percent after the DA announced the outbreak of bird flu in Pampanga.
Ubra President Elias Jose Inciong told the BusinessMirror that some of their members have seen lower sales, even as the AI outbreak is confined to just one town in Pampanga.
Because of lower demand, Inciong said the farm-gate price of broiler fell to as much P62 per kilogram.
The production cost of small and medium broiler growers ranges from P70 to
P75 per kilogram.
Ubra appealed to the DA to lift the ban on the shipment of poultry products from Luzon to other parts of the country, as this could cause growers to incur more losses.
Inciong also said the ban has “sown confusion” among consumers, as this made them believe that the AI outbreak is widespread and affects broilers.
Image credits: Leonardo Perante II