Despite the 2019 African Swine Flu (ASF) outbreak, the Department of Agriculture said it had secured more hog deliveries to the National Capital Region (NCR) from provinces with meat surpluses.
Hog deliveries in Metro Manila reached 202,006 heads after 3,775 heads were delivered as of March 22, the Department of Agriculture said..
Region IV-A has the highest cumulative hog contribution at 45.53% (live hogs) while Region III contributed 97.73% of hog carcasses.
While an executive order has been issued to keep meat market prices from increasing, prices of meat products remain higher than the government-imposed prices, with pork ham or kasim sold at P340 per kilo and pork belly or liempo at P350.
Executive Order 124 or the “Imposition of Mandated Price Ceiling On Selected Pork and Chicken Products in the National Capital Region,” states that pork ham shall be sold at P270.00 per kilo, and pork belly at P300.00 per kilo.
The Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) has offered a P15 billion loan for hog raisers to increase hog production in areas free from the African Swine Fever (ASF).
According to Food and Agriculture Organization, the areas affected by the outbreak are:
- Rizal
- Bulacan
- Pampanga
- Pangasinan
- Nueva Ecija
- Cavite
- Benguet
- Kalinga
- Aurora
- Bataan
- Quezon
- Isabela
- Davao Occidental
- Davao del Sur and
- Metro Manila (Caloocan, Malabon and Quezon cities) H.B. Oledan