KALIBO, Aklan — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) sees a shortage of “lechon baboy” (roasted pig) this summer, especially in May, which is the month of fiestas in the province.
Mabel Sinel, PVO chief, said the lack of pig supply in the province will lead to the shortage of lechon and other pork products during the fiesta month.
A kilo of pork at the public market now costs an average of PHP180.
“Last year, we had sufficient supply of pork at the market because many hog raisers in the province were able to receive dole outs as victims of super typhoon Yolanda. The abundance of pigs caused pork prices to go down to as low as PHP120 per kilo. Because of the decrease in the price of hogs then, our hog raisers are now discouraged to continue to go into production,” she said in an interview Tuesday.
During fiestas in the month of May, lechon is a popular food among residents and tourists, with the town of Numancia even holding its annual lechon festival every May 2-3.
“Another factor contributing to the low supply of pork is because of the increasing demand brought by the tourism industry in Boracay. Several hog raisers are also keeping their pigs in preparation for the anticipated heavy demand during fiestas,” Sinel said.
Several towns and barangays in the province are holding their respective fiestas all throughout the month of May. PNA-northboundasia.com