News Details

DA lauds retailers complying with pork MSRP

NPO

•

March 12, 2025

PNA

MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday lauded retailers complying with the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for pork in some public markets in Metro Manila.

This came after the DA imposed the pork MSRP on Monday, with pork liempo (belly) set at PHP380 per kilogram; PHP350 for kasim (pork ham) and pique; and PHP300/kg for sabit-ulo to address spiking pork prices in the country.

“So far, natutuwa ako na sumunod sa MSRP ang mga tindahan (I’m glad to note that retail stores are complying with the MSRP),” DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Constante Palabrica said in an interview on the sidelines of the joint market inspection with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the Balintawak Cloverleaf Market in Quezon City.

Palabrica said some are even offering prices lower than the set MSRP.

“Sa pigue, kasim ay PHP350 pero may nakikita akong bumababa pa ng hanggang PHP340.

Ang sinabi na presyo dapat ng sabit ulo ay PHP300, may nakita na ako na bumaba ng PHP295. So, magandang senyales ito ng pagsisimula dahil noong lunes lang ito ipinatupad (For kasim and pigue, it should be PHP350 but I saw others with a lower price set at PHP340.

The MSRP of sabit-ulo is PHP300, but I saw some PHP295. So, this is a good sign from the beginning since it was just implemented on Monday),” he added.

The pork MSRP, just like the MSRP earlier set on 5 percent broken imported rice, was implemented in public markets in Metro Manila.

Palabrica, however, assured an adequate period for retailers and all in the value chain to adjust to the MSRP instead of imposing immediate apprehensions.

The pork MSRP likewise will be subject to a monthly review to assess the need to retain, lift, or further lower the price.

“Nakita niyo naman sa sumunod e. Bakit natin pupwersahin ang sitwasyon? Sumusunod naman. May tiwala sila sa gobyerno na kung ano iyong pinag-usapan… Nagkakaroon kami ng win-win situation, hindi kailangang brasuhin ang (You saw that they are complying. Why would we force the situation? They are abiding. They have trust in the government on whatever our agreement was… We are having a win-win situation, there’s no need to force the) MSRP,” he said, citing a series of consultations with the pork industry to assess the reasonable cost structure.

Palabrica said piggery owners agreed to sell live pork at PHP230-level, which “biyaheros” or transporters also requested.

Farmgate prices were previously set at a PHP250/kg level, according to the DA.

Retail prices of pork in Metro Manila, meanwhile, range from PHP340/kg to PHP410/kg for pork kasim as of Monday; and PHP360/kg to PHP470/kg for pork liempo, according to the DA Bantay Presyo (price monitoring).

The prices of retail pork in Metro Manila earlier hit as high as PHP480/kg, which the DA flagged as “unreasonable.”