Quezon City monitoring markets amid surge in pork prices

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Saturday said the city government is closely monitoring local markets amid a reported surge in pork prices due to a supposed shortage caused by African swine fever (ASF).

Belmonte appealed to pork meat traders and retailers to avoid overpricing, citing reports that some vendors are selling pork products above the suggested retail price of P260 to P270 per kilo.

The mayor assured residents that local officials are monitoring all local markets to protect consumers from erring businesses.

“We monitor daily to ensure that there is no overpricing in our markets, not just in pork but in other products as well,” she said in Filipino.

Officials from the city veterinary office and the city’s market development and administration department have been deployed to conduct regular monitoring and inspection.

City veterinarian Ana Marie Cabel said the increase in pork prices is due to the shortage of live weight or fresh hog supply in Luzon and restrictions on the shipment of live animals from the Visayas and Mindanao.

“It is harder to get supply from Visayas and Mindanao because of restrictions in the shipment of live animals due to the pandemic,” she said.

She assured residents that the city remains free of ASF as most of the piggeries have been depopulated.

Cabel said imported and frozen meat products are also being inspected in markets and groceries to ensure that they are safe for consumption.

She reminded residents to look for meat inspection certificates to ensure that the meat being sold underwent thorough examination by meat inspectors.