The Department of Agriculture (DA) will investigate the low compliance of pork retailers on the agency’s set maximum suggested retail price (MSRP).

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, DA spokesperson, said only 20 percent of the 170 retailers surveyed complied with the MSRP.

He added that MSRP is a non-coercive measure designed to pull down prices.

Under the MSRP, retailers are urges to sell liempo at price not higher than P380 per kilo, while pigue and ham are at P350 per kilo.

“But nevertheless, isang linggo pa lang naman yung nakalipas. Kung tingnan natin yung nangyari sa bigas, nung nag-start ang MSRP, talagang hindi naman din gano’n kabilis yung compliance. Nagkakaroon ng correction sa market,” De Mesa said.

Earlier, retailers said that following the MSRP would mean absorbing losses as the farmgate price for pork is already higher than the MSRP.

Just last week, officials of the DA conducted an inspection at the Balintawak Market where they noted that pork prices have started going down. However, this was not the case as liempo in some wet markets is still selling at P470/kilo.