Sagay sets minimum pork prices amid ASF resurgence

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Sagay City government in Negros Occidental has set minimum pork prices to protect local hog raisers and consumers amid the resurgence of African swine fever in the province.

Under an executive order issued Monday by Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, the minimum retail price of pork will be PHP 270 per kilogram, while the minimum buying price for pork carcasses will be PHP 200 per kilogram, effective July 15.

The measure followed consultations with local meat retailers and vendors to address falling hog prices and prevent unhealthy price competition driven by ASF-related market concerns.

Cueva said in the executive order that the ASF resurgence had caused panic among local hog raisers, prompting some to sell their hogs at very low prices and triggering a “price war” among local meat retailers and vendors.

The mayor said the measure seeks to balance the protection of local hog raisers’ livelihoods with the stability of the city’s pork supply chain and meat industry.

The city government urged all meat retailers, vendors, and other stakeholders to comply with the executive order for the benefit of producers and consumers.

San Enrique was the first local government unit in Negros Occidental to confirm ASF cases during the current resurgence, with the town reporting more than 1,000 hog deaths last month.

ASF cases were later confirmed in Bacolod City and La Libertad, Negros Oriental, in early July.

Authorities across Negros have intensified biosecurity measures, including the establishment of ASF checkpoints along local government boundaries, to help prevent the spread of the highly contagious viral disease.

ASF affects domestic and wild pigs but does not infect humans.