The Other White Meat Got Expensive! Pork Price Increased to Rs 280/kg from Rs 240/kg
Mangaluru: PORK- the other White Meat! But Not really. Pork is a red meat. The white meat concept was solely used as part of a marketing campaign that began in the 1980s, but in the realm of health and nutrition, pork is considered red meat. Meat is categorized as either white or red based on the amount of myoglobin found in the animal’s muscle. Myoglobin is a protein found in meat that produces a red colour when it’s exposed to oxygen. Poultry and fish, both of which are considered white meat, have significantly less myoglobin than red meat. Pork is still classified as red meat, even though when you cook it, it sometimes becomes lighter in colour. Pork also falls into the livestock category, which includes lamb, veal and beef.
Like any red meat, pork should be limited due to its link to heart disease, but that doesn’t mean you can never enjoy it again! Anytime you have red meat, it should be the leanest cut you can find. But for Mangalorean Catholics, pork is a must other than Chicken or Mutton, especially on Sundays, where after attending the Sunday mass as an obligation, the family have to have delicious lunch, with pork as the main dish, either Pork -Bafath/Indad/Chilly/Pepper/Roast etc, and for that matter, I can live 365 days just with a pork item, Bimbli Dal Sar and rice- and I bet that is also a favourite of many of you. The price of pork may affect Catholic caterers who cater for roce, wedding etc ceremonies, which will burn a hole in their pockets due to menu price. Oh well.
The price of the meat has now risen by 16.6% after a decision on this was taken by piggery owners and meat suppliers The price, which was Rs 240/kg, has increased to Rs 280, the highest hike in recent years, from 13 November. According to piggery owners, the reason for the price hike is due to a tight supply. It is learnt that the widely consumed Duroc, a pig breed, has had a very limited supply for the past few months, forcing an increase in the price. Also, increased fuel, feed, and other requirements of piggery farming are factors for the hike.
DUROC BREED of PIG
The last price hike was done in 2019 when the price was increased by Rs 20 from Rs 220. Compared to previous hikes, this is the highest ever. The hike in pork prices will also affect the catering and food industries, which are planning to increase food order rates. “Dukor ” Saldanha who manages a piggery farm on the outskirts of Mangaluru stated that the shortage started over the past three months. “The reason was that some of the piggery owners, fearing diseases, started to sell their stock to wholesalers. They sold the entire pig stock, excluding piglets, to wholesalers, who later supplied the same to the northeast states. The price of pork there is between Rs 380 to 400. Now, there is no stock available, and piglets will take another six or 9 months for butchering” He also runs a catering business. and he procures meat from Udupi for food preparation.
A meat seller in Milgres Centre, Hampankatta, who has been in the industry for two decades pointed out that there is a short supply of the Duroc breed. “As per industry speculations, the prices are expected to shoot up to Rs 350 per kg in another month or so in Mangaluru. Even the supply available in Mangaluru is transported to Bengaluru, which also has a similar shortage, and the price is also high,”.
And if you were surprised to see a few of the pork-selling shops were closed during the weekend, it was learnt that close to eight shops selling pork were closed as there was no supply. It’s getting time to switch over to Veg from Non-Veg, with all the prices of meats skyrocketing!
