Pork prices remain in a reasonable range

Frozen Pork Meat COA officials said that pork prices have risen to reflect theincreasing costs of feed grains imported from abroad. The cost for raising hogs have now reached NT$6,500 per 100kilograms. The market price of hogs stood at NT$7,594 per 100 kg on Saturday,the day of the traditional Dragon Boat Festival. The price normally goes up during the festival season due togreater demand from consumers, but the price tags have stayedwithin a reasonable range, the COA officials explained. Most vegetable prices from central and southern Taiwan also showedincreases due to the damaging heavy rains last week. But they said the COA does not yet plan to release frozen productsfrom government storage, as consumers still have choices forproducts supplied from other areas. Since the government has been providing financial subsidies tofarmers harmed by rains and floods, new crops should be able toreach the market soon, they said. The auction price for pork averaged between NT$75 and NT$90 atlocal markets, although the it hit a new high mark of NT$100 per kgfor the first time at the Hsinchu market in northern Taiwan. Some pork dealers said that it is highly unusual for pork prices toreach NT$100 per kg. They questioned if more sensible consumers are willing to pay sucha high price. Most consumers said that they have adopted price slashes as a wayto cope with rising prices. The various vegetarian and environmental conservation organizationsin Taiwan suggested that consumers use the opportunity to develop anew habit of consuming less meat to help reduce carbon monoxideemissions. They said that the Cabinet led by Premier Liu Chao-shiuan had justadopted a new set of policy guidelines last week to promotesustainable development, environmental protection, low-carbonconsumption, and social justice. The government should launch a publicity campaign on Frozen Pork Meat  when promoting its new energy policy, they suggested. Leaders of the groups said that research have shown evidence thatlivestock consume much more natural resources while releasingseveral times more carbon emissions. They were glad that some senior officials have signed up to jointheir campaign to consume more vegetables and reduce meatconsumption. But more of the financially pinched consumers should also join thecommon cause as a way to cope with high inflation, they stressed.