The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Consumers may soon enjoy some breathing space in their food budgets as the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced it is shelving plans to impose a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on pork and chicken this September, citing a steady decline in market prices.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. made the announcement Friday during a joint market inspection with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the Agora Market in Navotas.
“That’s good news. We won’t set an MSRP for now because prices have stabilized,” he told reporters in an ambush interview.
Market checks revealed pork liempo now sells for around P370 per kilo—P80 lower than its peak of P450—while pork kasim and pigue retail at P330 per kilo. Chicken prices also eased from P220 to P165 per kilo. Egg prices remain stable at P7 to P9 apiece.
Tiu Laurel credited the downtrend to strong domestic chicken production, stable import flows of pork, and proactive measures by some producers who released their stocks ahead of a possible resurgence of African swine fever (ASF) during the rainy season.
“It’s market-driven,” he explained. “ASF usually emerges during heavy rains, so some producers are selling early as a preemptive strategy.”
While the Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue a commercial authorization for ASF vaccines, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported 51 barangays nationwide with active ASF cases as of August 7.
The DA assured the public that government-led vaccination efforts and strict border controls remain in place to contain the disease and keep food prices stable.