Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public that the country has enough supply of rice and meat to meet the expected increase in demand during the holiday season.
“A big chunk of the supply comes from the locally produced rice, and production of farmers will be enough to meet the demand towards the end of the year,” DA said in a statement on Wednesday.
However, the department noted that retail prices might be affected by the ongoing drought in China — where some Philippine rice importers also source their supply — and the presence of rice varieties from other countries.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that around 8.74 million metric tons (MT) of palay or unmilled rice were produced from January to June compared to the yearend target of 20 million MT.
DA’s price monitoring in Metro Manila markets also showed the price of rice stayed at the ₱38 to ₱50 per kilo range as of Sept. 19.
“Meanwhile, the DA livestock group — composed of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the National Meat Inspection Service, the National Dairy Authority, the Philippine Carabao Center, and the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry — confirmed the country’s meat-sufficiency, especially in terms of local chickens and pigs,” the department added.
DA’s projected end of year local production for livestock is 1.34 million MT and for poultry, 1.65 million MT.
“With the demand for broilers expected at around 1.64 million MT this year, consumers are assured that there will be a generous supply to last up to early 2023,” DA added.
The department said that on the other hand, demand for pork for the year is at 1.79 million MT — about 0.10 million MT higher than the country’s total supply. But it noted that the bulk of the supply comes from local production, with only 0.29 million MT of pork imported in 2022.
However, PSA data showed that local production is still behind at around 835,000 MT for livestock and around 918,000 MT for poultry in the first six months of the year.
The price of livestock also remained at the ₱300 to ₱420 per kilo range, DA reported. While the cost of a medium egg remained at ₱7 per piece, the per kilo price of a whole chicken increased to ₱190 from ₱180 a week ago.
“The Department is continuously working on maintaining the stability of the price and monitoring supply to help local producers produce enough for the demand,” DA said.
