Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday led the launching and ribbon cutting of the Negros First Meat Shop at the Murcia Public Market in Murcia, Negros Occidental, which will allow hog raisers to display and sell quality meat to their consumers.

Marañon was joined by Don Salvador Benedicto Vice Mayor Cynthia de la Cruz, who is also the president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros Occidental, and Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Renante Decena.

The governor said raisers can now grow and butcher without dealing with traders and brokers, and sell their produce at the meat shop at P160 per kilo, which is P20 cheaper compared to the selling price in Bacolod City at P180 per kilo.

This is a value adding scheme for raisers that translates to an additional income of P2,000 per slaughtered swine since they do not have to pay for butchers and they can immediately sell their produce at their meat shop, Marañon said.

He added that this is a livelihood program at the grassroots level.

De la Cruz, meanwhile, said there is no competition between the prices sold by members of the hog raisers and the local meat vendors since they have the same pricing, and added that most of the local meat sellers of Murcia are already members of the association.

She also said that the association is also a recipient of the Negros First Animal Dispersal and has received about 600 gilts from the province that helped them upgrade the quality of meat sold in the market.

The group also received a freezer that will be used to store processed meat, De la Cruz added.

She said that the cities of Kabankalan and San Carlos and the towns of Don Salvador Benedicto and Murcia have practiced the meat shop concept and noted that this has to be replicated by other towns and cities too. *LTG

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