Chicken, pork prices may go up by P5/kilo April

Prices of pork and chicken are expected to go up by P5 per kilo starting April due to the current dry spell many provinces in the Philippines are experiencing, a party-list lawmaker representing the agriculture sector said on Sunday. “The prices of corn increased by P3.50 per kilo and since corn is being used as feeds for pigs and chicken, the prices of pork and chicken may increase this April and May," said Rep. Nicanor Briones of Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) at the weekly Balitaan sa Tinapayan news forum in Sampaloc, Manila. The dry spell caused by the El Niño phenomenon has caused some P11 billion in agricultural losses in 14 provinces. Briones broke it down to P5 billion in rice and P6 billion in corn.

Briones identified Isabela and Cagayan as the provinces that were hardly hit by the drought. Other affected areas include Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblom, Masbate, Antique, Guimaras and Negros Occidental. The lawmaker said the agricultural sector estimates that the losses will reach to P20 billion or more even before the El Niño is over. “Because of drought triggered by El Niño, more crops are expected to be damaged." Adding to the woes of the farmers, Briones said, is the rampant smuggling of agricultural products - fish, pork, chicken and vegetable - into the country. To alleviate the impact of the drought, Briones urged the national government to suspend the Barangay Election scheduled in October and use to budget allotted for it to projects that will benefit the farmers. “The funds from the Barangay Election coupled with supplemental funds can help alleviate the sad economic state of our farmers because their crops were destroyed by the El Niño phenomenon. The government should act now before it’s too late," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV