• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A hog raiser has requested the city government to investigate alleged unfair trading practices and pricing manipulation of liveweight hogs in Bacolod.
The letter, addressed to Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya, was received by Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson as chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Agriculture.
“The livelihood of many local hog raisers depends on a fair and competitive market,” the complainant said in the letter. “We hope that this concern will be given appropriate attention and that any violation of applicable laws or regulations will be addressed accordingly”.
Sayson said Aug. 25 that the SP has referred the complaint to the City Mayor’s Office, adding the next steps and appropriate actions regarding the matter should be left to the mayor’s discretion.
The letter stated that small and independent farmers are reportedly being forced to sell their livestock well below the fair market value, with liveweight prices at the Bacolod Slaughterhouse dropping to as low as P120 per kilogram.
The complaint requested that city officials examine current farmgate prices, trader pricing mechanisms, potential profit-margin discrepancies, and possible coordinated pricing or profiteering among traders.
The complaining backyard hog raiser also urged authorities to verify whether government price monitoring rules are being strictly observed, and to implement corrective enforcement measures.
“Chances are, maybe the mayor will meet with them…together with the Price Monitoring Council,” Sayson said.
He attributed the lower pig prices to the law of supply and demand, the impact of the African swine fever (ASF), and the importation of pork from other countries. | TMD
