The Department of Agriculture (DA) is ramping up its monitoring efforts to ensure compliance with the Maximum Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) on pork, following reports that some retailers continue to sell pork at more than P400 per kilo — well above the suggested range of P350 to P380.

In an interview with DZBB on Saturday, Eric Harina, president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, said the DA implemented the MSRP to curb the rising retail price of pork.

“‘Yung DA ay isinulong ang MSRP para mapababa ang retail price ng karneng baboy. Kasi may nakikita tayo... na 'yung karneng baboy, tumataas na [ang presyo] ng more than P400-P440/kilo — masyadong mataas na,” Harina explained.

To help stabilize prices, pork producers agreed to lower the farmgate price from P250-P260 per kilo to P230. However, despite this effort, some retailers continue to sell beyond the recommended price cap.

“May mga nagbebenta ng more than P400 na dapat P350 to P380 lang ang presyo ng karneng baboy,” Harina noted.

Harina also revealed that the DA recently called a special meeting to assess the supply chain and identify those who are not adhering to the pricing regulation.

“Just recently, tumawag ang DA ng special meeting to check on the supply chain, kung sino ang hindi sumusunod,” he said.

Minimum SRP suggested

While pork producers have agreed to the MSRP, Harina stressed the need for a minimum retail price to ensure farmers do not suffer losses.

“Kung may maximum suggested retail price, dapat may minimum retail price din para hindi lugi ang mga farmer. Otherwise, madidismaya ang mga farmer. Ayaw na nilang mag-alaga ng baboy dahil lugi,” he explained.

The local pork industry has already been struggling due to the impact of African swine fever (ASF), which reduced the country’s pig population by nearly 50 percent from its previous 14-15 million heads.

“Kailangan i-encourage na mag-alaga na ng baboy para mas marami tayong supply,” Harina said, noting that pork production remains insufficient despite ongoing importation efforts.

According to DA spokesperson Arnel de Mesa, compliance with the pork MSRP has improved, increasing from 25 percent to 31 percent since enforcement began on 10 March.

Meanwhile, Rosendo So, chairman of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, reassured consumers that industry players are committed to keeping prices within reasonable levels.

Harina reiterated that the current MSRP is reasonable, as it reflects farm input costs and the dynamics of the supply chain.