Du30 sets price cap on pork, chicken.

No images? Click here   BLOCKADE A soldier stands guard on a blockaded road to Myanmar’s parliament in Naypyidaw on Monday after the military detained the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders in a coup. —AFP       World Myanmar pressed to keep Rohingya deal DHAKA—Bangladesh called for peace and stability in Myanmar after a military coup on Monday, and said it hoped its neighbor make genuine efforts to move forward the stalled process of voluntary repatriation of Rohingya Muslim refugees. --Reuters, AFP Read more: philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com   News Expect restrictions to ease in March, says Neda chief Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua believes the country will be able to relax quarantine restrictions next month after the mass COVID-19 vaccination drive this month. --Leila B. Salaverria Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19. Subscribe     Get here   Banner Story Du30 sets price cap on pork, chicken By Karl R. Ocampo and Leila B. Salaverria President Duterte has imposed a 60-day freeze in the prices of pork and chicken in Metro Manila to check their exorbitant prices in markets, earning the ire of local producers who believe the rates are “impossible” to meet. Executive Order No. 124, which the President signed on Monday, set price ceilings of P270 a kilo for “kasim/pigue” and P300 per kilo for “liempo,” and P160 a kilo for dressed chicken, against the current rates of P440 and P200, respectively, in public markets. The President acted on a recommendation of Agriculture Secretary William Dar, who blamed unscrupulous traders and profiteers for the abnormal price increases. Local raisers, however, have cited a combination of factors, such as the slow recovery of food establishments from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the unimpeded importation of meat, and the persistence of the African swine fever (ASF). Consumers have been complaining of higher food prices not only of meat but also of vegetables and some fish. The inflated rates have especially hurt low-income families who are still reeling from the economic standstill caused by the pandemic. Senate hearing Industry leaders claimed during a hearing called by the Senate committee on agriculture and food that they were not consulted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) when it recommended price ceilings to the President. The DA earlier said in a briefing that the proposed rates were based on prevailing market prices in previous months. But critics said it did not factor in changes in production costs. Alyansa Agrikultura chair Ernesto Ordoñez, who was present during the hearing, said in an interview that the price freeze would demotivate hog and chicken raisers from further production and would hurt the industry in the long run. --INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Not worth it Gov. Jonvic Remulla and the Cavite provincial government took the right step in scrapping the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) project. The P500-billion China-backed project was controversial from the get go, so the announcement that the deal is off is a laudable development.  Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net   Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe