AGRICULTURAL groups said the poultry supply is ample despite worries over the flow of food to locked-down cities during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed to contain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In an interview, Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairman Rosendo O. So said that poultry supply is more than enough to meet demand.
Mr. So said poultry farmgate prices have fallen due to gridlock at quarantine checkpoints.
“Nawala ang institutional buyers like Jollibee, KFC, Mang Inasal, Max,” (Institutional buyers have disappeared due to the lockdown such as Jollibee, KFC, Mang Inasal, and Max’s), Mr. So said.
SINAG estimates that the average Luzon farmgate price for poultry is at P40-P50, and in some areas as low as P36.
Mr. So added many backyard hog raisers shifted to poultry production due to the effects of African Swine Fever (ASF), boosting supply.
He added that the shorter production cycle for poultry enticed hog raisers.
The typical production cycle for poultry is around 30 to 35 days while hogs take about four to six months to reach marketability.
According to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), there were 69 new ASF outbreaks in Luzon, with 41,953 pigs being culled as a precaution.
The Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc. (ProPork) confirmed to BusinessWorld that some backyard hog raisers shifted to poultry production to recover their ASF losses.
ProPork President Edwin G. Chen said in a interview that even some some commercial hog raisers shifted to broiler production.
He added that pork supply is also sufficient for the first half of 2020.
“The difference between us and other countries is our archipelagic geography. We have other areas that are ASF-free. Provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao that are virus-free can transport pork to areas with demand,” Mr. Chen said.
United Broiler and Raisers Association Chairman Gregorio A. San Diego added that the nationwide supply of eggs is also ample, though logistics are an issue.
“The problem is distribution because of multiple checkpoints,” Mr. San Diego said.
According to the Department of Agriculture, weekly demand for poultry and meat for Metro Manila is 7,934 metric tons, with a committed supply of 11,074 MT, from Regions 2 and 3. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
