Roast pork, or lechón, remains a centerpiece of Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico, and despite economic pressures including rising electricity costs, pork prices are expected to stay stable or rise only slightly, by 5% to 10%, due to supply and demand. That is according to Ángel L. Rodríguez Roldán, president of the Cooperativa de Porcicultores de Puerto Rico, and Agriculture undersecretary Jorge Quiles.
Any increase on whole roasting pigs would likely come in December near Nochebuena, when inventories fall. Prices already rose during the year after feed costs climbed between February and March, plus an electricity-related increase. The Agriculture Department recorded an average of $2.18 per pound at the production level in fiscal year 2025.
At the start of this Christmas season, whole local pigs pay $1.60 per pound live at the farm, and the cooperative, which unites 73 pork producers, recently opened the Puerto Rico Meat Processing Center slaughterhouse in Guaynabo in August, selling hook-weight pork at $2.60 per pound to about 22 lechoneras. Supermarket prices range from $2.50 to $5 per pound, and roasted pork at lechoneras now runs $13 per pound, up from $12.20 a year or two ago.
The Ruta del Lechón counts about 19 certified establishments. Frozen whole pigs imported from the United States are cheaper at $1.90 per pound, because US farms pay $4 to $7 per sack of corn feed versus $18 to $20 in Puerto Rico, but Rodríguez Roldán argued local pigs’ intramuscular fat keeps the meat juicy and flavorful.
Local pork production reached about 10.79 million pounds in fiscal year 2025 and 11.13 million in fiscal year 2026, and Christmas demand rises an estimated 25% to 45%.