Luzon eyes pork supply from Mindanao amid looming deficit

MANILA, Philippines – Negotiations are underway to bring 4,000 metric tons of pork from Mindanao to various parts of the country including Metro Manila, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday, April 28. 

The department’s food supply outlook released on Tuesday showed the country will have a deficit in pork inventory for 31 days by the end of the year. 

DA spokesperson Noel Reyes said the negotiations are discussing the “price and quality of the pork that will be brought here in Luzon.”

Metro Manila is the largest consumer of pork in the country. Reyes said the Davao provinces as well as General Santos and Cagayan de Oro committed to supply areas that will suffer deficit in pork supply.

Earlier, the DA appealed to consumers to eat more chicken to manage the projected deficit in pork supply. 

Agricultural group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) didn’t share the DA’s outlook, however.

It’s not the supply but the country’s demand for pork that has been on a downward trend in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the group said. 

Movement of food and agriculture products has been hampered due to lockdowns. “The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon has resulted in the increase of pork supply in the region, with demand going down by at least 20 percent as major fast food chains, restaurants, tourist sites remain closed,” SINAG said.

The group claimed there is actually an oversupply of pork in many parts of the country, especially in Cebu, which has 3 months of surplus. Cold storage facilities in Southern Mindanao and some regions in Visayas are also “filled to capacity,” it said. 

SINAG urged the DA to bring this surplus to Luzon.

“This will balance the pork needs of the country. The pork from Mindanao will help fill the needs of our supermarkets, while the pork from Luzon will continue to supply our local wet markets,” SINAG said. – Rappler.com