The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday, February 11, issued a memorandum detailing how hog suppliers from the Visayas and Mindanao can avail of a transport subsidy if they would send pork to Metro Manila.

Memorandum No. 13 stated that the amount of transport support for live pigs or whole carcasses, which will come as a reimbursement, would be as follows:

• P21 per kilo – Mindanao
• P15 per kilo – Visayas, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Bicol
• P10 per kilo – Central Luzon, Calabarzon

With the subsidy, the DA noted that the landed cost – the amount a retailer spends to produce and ship a product – must only be:

• P165 per kilo – Mindanao
• P170 per kilo – Visayas, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Bicol
• P180 per kilo – Central Luzon, Calabarzon

The memorandum aims to help hog suppliers comply with the 60-day price ceiling, which was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte last February 1.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa earlier said the hog industry can avail of the transport subsidy by following this process:

• Go to the DA regional field office and have their shipments registered.
• Have the hogs inspected by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) upon arrival in Metro Manila.
• Secure a certification from the NMIS and present it to the regional field office for reimbursement.

Hog raisers in the Visayas and Mindanao were not severely affected by African swine fever (ASF), unlike producers in Luzon.

Agriculture stakeholders earlier proposed the transport subsidy to support both local producers and consumers.

The price of pork recently soared to around P400 per kilo in Metro Manila, prompting the government to impose a price ceiling.

The price cap, however, is hurting producers and vendors as they spent more on feeds due to ASF and suffered losses amid the outbreak of the disease. – Rappler.com