Pork supply for Christmas season ‘enough’

CEBU, Philippines —  As the Cebu provincial government continues to refuse entry of pork and pork-related products from Luzon and Mindanao, authorities have assured the public that there's enough supply of pork in the province for yuletide season.

Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, the provincial veterinarian, said that there is, in fact, an oversupply of pork, according to Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative (CeViPPCo).

This, as many hotels and resorts that used to contribute to the demand have stopped or reduced their meat requirements due to decreased tourist arrivals.

Vincoy said that before the pandemic, hotels and other food establishments were among the biggest buyers of pork products.

The entry of pork and other pork related products from Luzon, Mindanao and Eastern Visayas remains banned in Cebu as a measure to prevent African Swine Fever (ASF) virus from entering in the province.

“We continue to abide by the executive orders that I have issued as regards the banning of entry of pork and pork related products from the entire Luzon from region 8 and the entire Mindanao,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said.

Vincoy said the ASF Task Force continues its strict monitoring of illegal entry of pork products from the banned areas in all the borders of the province despite the coronavirus disease pandemic.

So far, traders entering pork products into the province have been compliant with the requirements set by the Capitol, she added.

ASF-Free

Cebu province remains ASF free, according to Vincoy.

In contrast, Garcia said that 22 provinces in Luzon have recorded another spike of ASF cases, which is the reason why some Luzon traders are sourcing their pork products from Cebu.

This is one of the reasons why demand for local pork has been maintained, and as a result, the prices of such products do not drastically go low, benefitting the local hog raisers in the process.

“Kahibaw ko ang uban nga mga middlemen o mga traders nireklamo ana kay kaniadto paliton nila per kilo P110, karon ang palit sa taga Manila P145 , P150 o even P160. Now, asa man ko molaban, sa source nga intawon maoy nagpatubo, maoy nagbuhi, maoy naningkamot nga makabaligya siya sa iyang baboy or ari ta sa traders or middlemen?” Garcia said.

“Definetly unahon nato usa ang atong mga nagbuhi og baboy nga at least karon mag-enjoy sila og taas taas nga presyo and this is all because we have, in spite of all opposition and even threats, insisted on keeping Cebu ASF-free and strictly implementing measures to see to it that ASF will not be able to enter the province of Cebu,” Garcia added.

Garcia issued an executive order last August 2019, imposing a 100-day ban of live hogs and pork products and other pork-related products from Luzon after several areas there recorded ASF cases. Later, in December last year, the ban extended to Eastern Visayas.

By February 2020, the ban had already covered entire Mindanao.

The quarantine period for raw materials used as ingredient for hog feeds from Mindanao and other countries also remains. — JMD (FREEMAN)