The Department of Agriculture (DA) is still studying the potential of implementing a maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) on pork as the agency investigates the possibility of profiteering.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the MSRP will be imposed once profiteering has been identified as the culprit behind high pork prices. 

“We’re currently studying that and digging deep sa buong value chain ng pork at kung makita natin na may profiteering ba o wala (into the entire value chain of pork to see if there is any profiteering or none),” Laurel told a press conference on Monday, Feb. 10.

“If we have identified na may profiteering ‘yan (that there is profiteering), then we will be doing the MSRP also for pork,” he added.

The DA chief said he had disclosed this matter with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday morning, with the chief executive taking a “particular interest” in the huge contrast between farmgate and retail prices.

“Farmgate is ₱240 to ₱250 [per kilo]; bakit may presyo na ₱380 to ₱420 sa palengke? So, hinahanap ko saan napunta ‘yung ₱100 na gap,” he said. (Farmgate is ₱240 to ₱250; per kilo why is there a price of ₱380 to ₱420 in the public market? So, I’m trying to figure out where the ₱100 gap has gone.)

Laurel, in particular, expressed dissatisfaction with pork prices that go beyond ₱400 a kilo, describing them as “unreasonable.”

Ideally, he said, profits should be just “enough” for every producer or manufacturer in the value chain.

The DA recently implemented an MSRP on imported rice at ₱58, later trimming it down to ₱55. The price cap is expected to go below ₱50 by March.

The MSRP is part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to stabilize rice prices and alleviate inflationary pressures on basic commodities. 

For pork, Laurel noted that as part of the agency’s efforts to study the MSRP, he still needs to consult with members of the industry and stakeholders to determine the appropriate price limit. He said the study should be ready by the end of February.