MANILA— “Yong sa manok na broiler, mahirap na mahirap talaga mula ng nag-ECQ tayo,” says Gregorio San Diego, chairperson of the United Broiler Raisers Association of the Philippines, in a radio-TV on Monday.
He said that most of their members are in the brink of collapse and it may take more time for them to recover if they could not receive support from the government. “Hindi namin inaasahan na mangyari ito. Bumagsak ang demand dahil ang mga malalaking kustomer namin ay natamaan din,” he said.
San Diego further said, a big bulk of the products of their association is absorbed by hotels, restaurants and institutions, such as fast-food chains and food processors, which are also in dire economic difficulties. In fact, many hotels, restaurants and food-related establishments have ceased to operate after the lockdown.
“Akala kasi namin last year na pagkatapos ng African Swine Fever ay lumaki ang demand ng karneng manok kaya ang mga kasamahan namin ay nagpalaki ng produksyon ngunit ngayon ay luging-lugi talaga sila,” he said. The present farm gate price of live chicken is between Php 60-65 per kilo and the suggested retail price is Php 100-115 per kilo.
According to him his group is uneasy with the data of the Department of Agriculture (DA) about poultry products importation of the country. “Nabahala kami dahil tuloy-tuloy ang importasyon ng gobyerno natin ng manok sa ibang bansa,” he said. He confessed though that it is hard for them to get exact data from the Bureau of Animal Industry but they heard that DA estimated a surplus of 250 million metric tons in the 4th quarter of this year when the Covid-19 crisis would have subsided.
“Parang isang taon na suplay ito sa bansa. Paano na kami? Unlike sa ibang bansa sa Europe at U.S. na pinatigil nila ang importasyon kung mayroon krisis upang matulongan ang kanilang sariling industriya. Pero sa atin hindi,” San Diego lamented.
On happy note, however, he stated that egg industry is doing fine amid the ECQ because egg is the cheapest source of protein of the people and does not need expensive processing and stocking. Eggs are essential items also in relief food aid to affected communities.
Nonetheless, his group appeals for the government to look into the importation data on poultry products and to help the local poultry and broiler industry stand after the Covid-19 crisis. “Sana naman matulongan kaming makabangon muli,” he finally said.
