LOCAL broiler producers are urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to initiate legislative efforts to be able to suspend meat importation, and thus help the industry cope with the persisting domestic supply glut.
In an open letter to Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, the United Broiler Raisers Association (Ubra) raised anew the high inventory of dressed chicken in cold storages, indicating that demand for poultry meat remains anemic.
Citing latest National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) data, Ubra said dressed chicken inventory as of June 22 stood at 85,759.250 metric tons (MT), more than double the 35,913.54 MT inventory in the same period of last year.
Likewise, the latest dressed chicken inventory is 60.24 percent higher than the 53,518.66 MT recorded level on March 16, or when the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was implemented.
Furthermore, NMIS data showed that half of the present dressed chicken inventory or about 42,487.29 MT are locally-produced broilers while the remaining volume of 43,271.96 MT were imported.
Ubra said they are hoping there would not be another round of ECQ, particularly in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon, as it would leave broiler raisers helpless on where to put their live chickens.
“As a way forward, we are requesting that the DA spearhead a legislative effort to seek clear authority that in certain circumstances the Secretary of Agriculture may suspend importation,” Ubra said in the letter dated July 2.
Ubra President Elias Jose Inciong told the BusinessMirror that the farm-gate price of broilers is back on a downward trend due to depressed demand despite the resumption of some activity in the fast-food service sector.
Inciong added that higher loading by some broiler farms also contributed to the decline of farm-gate prices as some raisers were attracted by high farm-gate price few weeks ago.
“Our assessment is that the hotel, restaurant and institutional sector is just at 30 percent of its demand levels,” he said.
Latest Ubra data showed that the average farm-gate price of regular-sized broilers as of July 3 slightly declined to P88.8 per kilogram from P89.8 per kilogram in the previous week. Ubra data also showed that the average farm-gate price of prime-sized broiler fell to P90.71 per kilogram from last week’s P91.62 per kilogram.
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