MANILA, Philippines — Tiniyak ng Department of Agriculture (DA) na nananatiling sapat ang supply ng manok sa bansa sa kabila ng mga ulat na maraming poultry producer ang nagsara dahil sa epekto ng COVID-19 pandemic.

Ayon kay DA Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes, malakas din ang bentahan ngayon ng manok dahil sa kakulangan sa supply at pagtaas ng presyo ng karne ng baboy.

“Wala pong shortage ng manok. Marami po tayong manok. Okay? Kung sino mang nagsasabi na may shortage sa manok, hindi po totoo yon. Okay? Sapat po ang manok. Ang kulang po talaga ay ang baboy,” ang pahayag ni Reyes.

Una nang nagpahayag ng pangamba ang grupong United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA) sa posibleng kakulangan sa supply ng manok dahil malaki ang nalugi sa poultry producers sa mga nagdaang buwan habang ipinatutupad ang community quarantine.

Sinabi rin ni UBRA President Atty. Bong Inciong na nakadagdag pa rito ang pagsasara ng mga restaurant na pangunahing sinu-suplayan ng kanilang mga produkto kaya umatras na ang maraming poultry business operators.

“Sa laki ng lugi nila nong lockdown hanggang September, umatras. Cinull na yung or pinatay na yung maraming inahin at tandang o yung mga breeders na tinatawag at dahil diyan kulang ngayon ng sisiw,” ang pahayag ni Inciong.

Sinabi naman ni Reyes na walang basehan ang pangambang magkakaroon ng kakulangan sa supply ng manok dahil nasa isang buwan lang aniya ang kailangan sa pag-aalaga ng mga manok.

Ngunit sagot ni Inciong, “Yan ang mahirap sa mga yan eh dahil puros pagpapapogi ang inaatupag. Hindi alam yung detalye. P46 ang sisiw na dapat ay P16. Saan kukuha ngayon lalo na yung mga small and medium? Yung mga malalaking kumpaniya mayroon pa yan siguro pero lahat yan umatras. Yan ang mahirap eh, ayaw nilang harapin yung katotohanan.”

Kung ang ilang tindera naman sa Balintawak Market sa Quezon City ang tatanungin, wala naman silang napapansing kakulangan sa supply ng manok sa pamilihan ngunit tumamataas anila ang presyo nito kada araw.

“Okay lang naman ang mga supply dito. Kaso nga lang, ang iba tumigil na sa pagtinda dahil sa presyo na mataas,” ang pahayag ng vendor na si Didith Cualteros.

“Halos araw-araw, ikalawang araw, tumataas ng dalawang piso, limang piso or 10 pesos ang (presyo) manok. Eh ang sinasabi nga dahil sa kakulangan daw ng supply. Yun ang sabi ng ibang byahero. Hindi rin naming malaman kasi maghahango lang kami,” ang wika ng vendor na si Zenaida Flores.

Sa tala ng DA noong Miyerkules, Enero 20, nasa P150 hanggang P180 ang kada kilo ng manok sa ilang pangunahing pamilihan sa Metro Manila.

Paliwanag ng kagawaran, tumataas ang presyo ng manok dahil sa malaking demand bunsod ng mahal na presyo ng karneng baboy.

Una nang sinabi ng DA na nagkukulang ang supply ng baboy dahil sa epekto ng African Swine Fever sa maraming hog farms sa bansa. – RRD (mula sa ulat ni Correspondent Asher Cadapan Jr.)

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture (DA) said they will begin the importation of pork products in February amid supply shortage caused by the African Swine Fever (ASF).

DA Spokesperson Asec. Noel Reyes said they will import pork from countries with no cases of ASF.

“Under the minimum access volume, mayroong pong 54,000 metric tons. So starting February 1st, iyan ay pwede nang angkatin at pwede na po silang mag-apply ng pag-import ng baboy mula sa Europe, US and sa iba pang bansa na walang ASF (We have 54,000 metric tons of pork products starting February 1, that can be imported. [Agriculture companies] can apply and import pork from Europe, United States, and other countries with no ASF),” he said.

He reported that pork supply in the country decreased by an estimate of 10%. Several reports also noted that the supply decreased by 15-16%, he added.

“May kulang po ang suplay ng baboy bunsod ng ASF. Bumaba. Ang taya namin nasa 10%, taya ng PSA, 15-16%. Pero ang taya po ng industriya ay bumaba ng 30% dito sa Metro Manila (There is a pork supply gap due to ASF. It reduced supply. Our estimate is 10%; the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates 15%-16%, but the industry estimates a decrease of 30% in Metro Manila),” he said.

Aside from increasing the supply in the country, Reyes said the DA also aims to normalize market prices. AAC (with reports from Joan Nano)

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has launched a digital marketing system that seeks to directly connect food producers to consumers sans the unnecessary trading layers.

The DA said the system called Deliver-E, which was officially launched on December 14, was conceived in collaboration with private sector partners, farmer cooperatives, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The initiative allows buyers to directly access fresh agricultural products and other basic food items at low prices, eliminating middlemen.

The department said Deliver-E operates through a blockchain technology developed by a Filipino tech startup, Insight Supply Chain Solutions (InsightSCS), that integrates related e-commerce and logistics application services from consolidation point to central warehousing facility, and then to last-mile delivery services to reach end-clients.

“With the sheer size of agricultural supply chains, only a multi-stakeholder approach to their management could free up the bottlenecks,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement.

The system’s launch was highlighted by a multi-stakeholder commitment pledge signing to upscale the agriculture value chain and improve overall food security in the country even beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

“Online is the new byword of food security. We are fully embracing the digitalization of the agriculture sector as we journey towards the 4th Industrial Revolution, or Agriculture 4.0,” Dar said.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, for his part, said the initiative is part of government’s strategy to enable Filipinos to adjust to the new normal.

“Let us try to create a Better Normal where all Filipinos can enjoy the fruits of our country’s inclusive growth and shared prosperity for all,” he said.