Mindanao to bring surplus pork to Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Mindanao will bring in its excess pork supply to Luzon, especially to Metro Manila, to boost inventory amid the extended enhanced community quarantine.

In a virtual briefing Tuesday, Agriculture spokesperson Noel Reyes said the DA is now coordinating with hog raisers in Mindanao for the transport of its surplus pork to meet demand in Luzon.

“We are just negotiating on the price and quality of the pork,” Reyes said.

Reyes said Davao could supply up to 500 metric tons of surplus pork monthly.

General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro, on the other hand, can supply a combined 3,000 MT of pork monthly.

Metro Manila is the largest consumer of pork in the country.

Over the weekend, agriculture group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura said bringing surplus pork supply in Mindanao and even some regions in the Visayas to Luzon would balance the pork demand of the country.

“The pork from Mindanao will help fill the needs of our supermarkets, while the pork from Luzon will continue to supply our local wet markets and pamilihang bayan,” Sinag said.

Cold storages in Southern Mindanao and some regions in Visayas are filled to capacity with stocks of surplus pork lasting for more than three months.

The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon has resulted in the increase of pork supply in the region with demand declining by at least 20 percent as major fastfood chains, restaurants, and tourist sites remain closed.