Overhaul of price coordinating body proposed

Industrialist and consumer advocate Raul T. Concepcion proposed yesterday an overhaul of the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) with the Trade and Industry and Agriculture Secretaries jointly chairing the price monitoring body.

At present, the NPCC is an interagency body that is chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Concepcion noted that poor coordination between the DTI and the Department of Agriculture resulted in the delayed response to the chicken supply shortage.

Concepcion acknowledged that as early as October last year, then Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II had foreseen the chicken supply shortage and had proposed the importation of chicken at zero tariff.

The DA, however, was opposed to the proposed chicken importation and instead relied on assurance from chicken growers that they would be able to supply the demand.

But, come December, the shortage still occurred as foreseen and the decision to import was already deemed too late.

While the holiday demand was supposed to ease this month, the tight chicken supply situation remains and chicken grower continue to assure that they will be able to stabilize the supply in the next week or so.

Fresh chicken prices, went up from P85 per kilo to P120 per kilo in the wet markets, with some reports of up to P140 per kilo in some wet markets.

During yesterday’s meeting of the NPCC, Trade Undersecretary and DTI Officer-in-Charge Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. acknowledged that the NPCC still has to rely on the assurance of chicken growers as the option of importing chickens is a long process and may take some months.

Thus, Cristobal said, the NPCC will strictly monitor the prices of chicken and other basic goods and implement the Price Act against retailers caught hoarding or profiteering.

Rita Imelda Palabyab, president of the Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators, disclosed that the still tight chicken supply situation is due to the early harvesting of chicken intended for this month.

The broilers were supposed to harvest only 1.3 million heads for December, but instead harvested almost two million heads. Thus, the broilers would need about a week to be able to grow the chicken and meet the needed supply for January.

Local supermarket operators for their part observed an unusually high demand for chicken last December compared to the previous year partly due to the mad cow scare.