Demand for chicken, egg drops further

MANILA, Philippines — The demand for chicken and eggs further dropped amid the spike in retail prices of rice as consumers are forced to prioritize procuring the staple instead of meat products, United Broiler Raisers Association chairman and Philippine Egg Board chairman Gregorio San Diego said.

In an interview yesterday with The STAR, San Diego said there is oversupply of chickens and eggs in farms because of low demand.

“Rice is the staple food. From P36 (per kilo) the retail price of rice is now at P41 (per kilo). With a limited budget, consumers will lessen their budget for meat, as rice is more important. It really affected us,” San Diego said.

Based on latest monitoring of the retail price, local regular milled rice is sold as high as P42 per kilo; local well-milled rice, P46 per kilo; local premium rice, P50 per kilo and local special rice, P60 per kilo.

The Philippine Statistics Authority has said that the retail price of rice is on the upward trend since April.

“We are a rice-eating country. Even if you have no other food, what is important is you have rice, that’s the belief of Filipinos,” San Diego added.

San Diego said retail prices of chickens and eggs remain high despite low farmgate prices of chicken and egg.

“The farmgate price of chicken is only P102 (per kilo) and the highest is P109 (per kilo) but the retail price reached P200 (per kilo) and the choice cuts, P210 per kilo,” he noted.

According to San Diego, vendors sell chickens and eggs at high prices to ensure revenues amid the low demand in markets.

He said that eggs are sold as high as P9 to P10 per piece despite the farmgate price of eggs being sold at a low of P4 per piece.

“Many markets ordered less eggs because of low demand from customers,” he noted.

Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Kristine Evangelista has said that traders complained that the volume of pork being procured by vendors from them was slashed by half.