The Department of Agriculture (DA) reminds retailers to comply with the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork, as the latest data show that only 20–25 percent of markets in the National Capital Region (NCR) follow the MSRP set at P300 per kilo (kg)for freshly slaughtered carcass, P350/kg for pigue (leg/ham) and kasim (shoulder), and P380/kg for liempo (pork belly).
Following inspections of more than 10 markets conducted jointly by the DA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs, Atty. Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, explained that operational concerns are among the reasons why some retailers are unable to comply.
In response to the low compliance rate, the DA and swine industry stakeholders renewed their commitment to strictly enforce MSRPs during a consultative meeting held last April 14, following inspection findings that fewer than 10 percent of sellers were complying.
As part of long-term measures, the DA is rolling out a Php1-billion swine repopulation program that will distribute around 30,000 gilts to large farms for eventual redistribution to backyard raisers, as announced by DA Undersecretary for Livestock Constante “Dante” Palabrica. ### (Text by Ira Y. Cruz; Photos by Joseph Henry G. Elamparo, Jr., DA-AFID)
