Less cost for boxed pork

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap launched recently a project that would provide low-cost pork in cooperation with National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI): during the hog farmers group’s 14th National Convention and Trade Exhibit held recently in Tagaytay City.

Yap said the program’s main objective is to institute a pork post-production system that ensures safety, economy, efficiency and environmental soundness in all aspects of the meat and pork supply chain.

"We aim to make the prices of pork (frozen pre-cuts) lower than the current supermarket price levels. These will initially come from Panay and Mindanao which are FMD-free areas and shipped and sold to Metro Manila in selected supermarkets (Robinsons, SM, Makro, Uniwide, and other members of the Supermarket Association of the Philippines). With the cooperation of NFHFI, we will provide 10 percent of the total pork requirement of Metro Manila, roughly equivalent to 700,000 kilos monthly."

NFHFI chairman Nemesio G. Co is optimistic that more hog farmers – NFHFI members, among them – are realizing the practical benefits of shifting from sending live hogs to markets. Federation members were among the first ones, he said, who have been supplying abattoirs and processing plants that produce pork cuts, place them in boxes and send them to Metro Manila and other markets in refrigerated containers.

NFHFI president Albert R. T. Lim Jr. said the new system will give consumers a better deal. It is less expensive to ship carcasses and meat cuts than live pigs which take up more space. Too, live pigs require feeds and caring and lost a significant amount of weight during travel. Such savings on transportation translate into lower meat prices. Case studies have shown that pork from live pigs shipped to Manila cost P143.43 per kilo and retail at P160 per kilo. Pork from carcasses, shipped to Manila, only costs P95.76 per kilo. Shipping meat cuts in refrigerated containers preserves the quality of the meat, reduces the risk of disease and minimizes spoilage for a safer, cheaper and better quality of meat.