KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/13 September) – Prices of chicken have increased by at least 20 percent, vendors from the city’s mega market said Friday.
Rey Butch Flores, president of Chicken Meat Vendors here, said there were limited stocks of chicken coming from their suppliers in General Santos City and Davao City.
Some of their members didn’t even have stocks on their stalls after livestock growers could no longer supply them, he said.
“We’re running out of supply that’s why we’re having difficulties selling in the market,” said a vendor.
Despite the limited supply Fuentes’s group decided not to increase by more than 20 percent the prices of chicken they sold in the market.
“If we increase the prices further, we might lose our customers and incur losses,” Fuentes said.
Months ago, chicken meat was being sold at P130 per kilo, and just recently, the price increased to P160 per kilo.
Fuentes clarified the increase has nothing to do with African Swine Fever (ASF) scare.
He emphasized that pork and beef vendors also complained of limited stocks but didn’t increase their prices.
Narcisa Carbon, president of pork and beef vendors said they did not adjust the prices of their products despite reports that pigs from hog farms in Luzon tested positive of ASF.
Carbon said they could only blame economic crisis as the primary reason why residents chose to buy vegetables and fish, which are cheaper.
She also stressed the ASF scare is not the reason consumers would prefer foodstuffs other than meat.
Earlier, city veterinarian Dr. Eugene Gornez assured residents that pork products being sold in the city’s mega market are not infected with ASF.
“We make sure the pigs being slaughtered here are healthy and free from any disease. This is our commitment. So far, we have not monitored ASF has infected our hog farms here,” he said. (Malu Cadeliña-Manar/MindaNews)