Ham prices to increase 4% this Christmas — DTI

A slight increase in prices of processed meat, particularly ham, will be felt this Christmas season, the Department of Trade and Industry said on Monday.

During an interview over state-run PTV 4, DTI's Consumer Protection Group officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco said some brands of hams will increase by at least 4 percent this holiday season.

"Sabi ng meat processors, ang itinaas daw po ng kanilang production cost is 15 to 20 percent. Pero dahil daw po gusto din naman nila na ang mga Pilipino ay maging masaya, so mababa lang po, parang, less than inflation nga, sabi nga ni Secretary Pascual, parang zero to 4 percent iyong some of the meat products, very minimal," Pacheco said.

Despite this, Pacheco said they will meet with noche buena manufacturers to consult them on the noche buena guide the department will release in the coming days containing the prices of Christmas commodities.

Pacheco urged consumers to choose brands of hams that are fit for their budgets, as not all hams are increasing their prices.

"There are 30 classes of hams in the market, based on our monitoring. Hindi po naman lahat nagtaas. Mamili po tayo nang naaayon sa budget natin at sa panlasa natin. The sizes and weight also vary, so, just buy the ham that fits your budget and the number of household members. Kung nag-iisa ka lang o dalawa lang kayo, huwag ka ng bumili ng isang kilo o ng 1.5," according to Pacheco.

Last month, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said some food manufacturers have already moved their requests for price adjustments until the end of the year, hoping that other manufacturers would follow suit.

He said the products that will not have price increases until December this year are bottled water, candles, condiments, bread and toilet soap.