DA looks into issuing tracking cards for pork amid low MSRP compliance

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, April 2, said it is studying a system that will pinpoint areas in the pork supply chain that prevent compliance with agreed prices across the industry.

The plan to set up what officials call tracking cards is an offshoot of the DA’s latest consultation with stakeholders over low compliance with the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) — which is based on producer’s cost — for pork in Metro Manila markets implemented on March 10.

“Kailangan ilagay saan binili 'yung baboy, sinong biyahero, saan dinala na slaughterhouse, from the slaughterhouse, sino 'yung kumuha papunta sa retail, at sino ‘yung retail, kumbaga susundan 'yung baboy,” Agriculture spokesperson Arnel de Mesa told reporters in a briefing.

[Translation: The card would contain the information on the hog buyer, the trader, the slaughterhouse, the transporter, and the retailer. In other words, we will follow the pork.]

The DA said it still observed high pork prices in Pasay wet markets such as in Cartimar, and Manila markets such as in Pritil, San Andres, and Trabajo.

“Susundan ‘yung pinanggalingan ng baboy at posibleng na titingnan kung merong mga paglabag, pwedeng hindi isyuhan ng shipping permit. So, ang problema no’n, walang darating na baboy dun sa mga palengke na ito,” De Mesa said.

[Translation: We will follow the pork and check the violators. The violators might not be issued with a shipping permit. The problem with that is there would be no pork that would arrive in those markets.]

The agency’s agribusiness and marketing assistance group will study the plan.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he was disappointed with stakeholders for not following the “gentleman’s agreement” in the pork MSRP.

De Mesa said around 39% of retailers have followed the price cap, while 88% of producers complied with the P230 farmgate price.

Laurel even raised the possibility of requesting a congressional probe on the MSRP noncompliance.

The DA has set the price for kasim (pork shoulder) at P350 per kilogram and liempo (belly) at P380/kg.

The agency also implemented a maximum suggested price for “sabit-ulo” at P300/kg. “Sabit-ulo” refers to pig carcasses delivered to sellers to be cut into portions each marked with corresponding prices.

FTI, Thai firm to pilot discounted pork

Meanwhile, the Food Terminal Inc. and Thai agro-industrial and food conglomerate CP Foods will have a pilot program for cheaper pork at lower than the MSRP, the DA said.

It said CP Foods will supply 100 live hogs daily at a discounted price. The hogs will be sent directly to a slaughterhouse in Caloocan City, where distributors and traders will “simply receive the live hogs directly rather than transporting them from various farms.”

“The hogs will then be processed for fresh pork carcasses, which will be delivered to different retailers in various wet markets,” the agency said.