PH may face pork deficit in 4th quarter

May 12 ------ The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the country may face a deficit in the pork supply by the last quarter of the year as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. “Pork supply is enough until the third quarter but may register a deficit in the fourth quarter,” President Duterte’s sixth weekly report to Congress revealed. The report was based on a projected total annual demand of 1,203,827 metric tons (MT) of pork and the projected supply of 1,118,101 MT. On the other hand, President Duterte’s report ensured that there is a sufficient supply of rice, corn, and chicken for the whole year based on projected demands and supply outlooks. “The DA projects a surplus stock of 3,326,161 MT of rice, 4,073,451 MT of corn, and 590,627 MT of chicken by the end of the year,” his report read. The report also noted that the fish supply will maintain a marginal sufficiency until the end of the year, with a surplus ending stock of 16,914 MT. Meanwhile, the Sugar Regulatory Administration maintained its estimates of the availability of supply of raw sugar and refined sugar stocks, which are good for four months and five months respectively. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) likewise issued a directive to all local government units (LGUs) to participate and align their actions with the DA’s Rice Resiliency Program that seeks to increase food sufficiency and ensure food availability and affordability across the country. Concerned government agencies, according to President Duterte’s report, continue to intensify their efforts and programs to ensure the availability of food in affected areas. The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the Supply Chain Analytics (SCan) Reporter mobile app to address bottlenecks in the supply, distribution, and movement of essential goods and services. The IATF has also accepted the donation of equipment by the University of the Philippines Administration-Regulatory Reform Support Program for National Development to facilitate the viewing of the SCan dashboard at the National Incident Command Emergency Operation Center of the National Task Force COVID-19. Source: mb.com.ph