The province of Negros Occidental remains a major supplier of hogs, that are free of the African swine fever disease, to Luzon.
From July 2020 to June 2021, a total of 53,390 hogs have been shipped outside the province.
Dr. Rodney Ta-ala, one of the biggest suppliers of commercial hogs in Negros Occidental, said the industry was also affected by the COVID pandemic since the demand decreased because of the reduced buying capacity of consumers.
However, because of ASF that affected major hog producers in Luzon and parts of Mindanao, Luzon consumers chose Negros to supply their demand for pigs.
The gate price of P145 per kilo of live weight for Manila consumers and P130 for local buyers is already enough to sustain their operations, Ta-ala said.
The Negros Occidental Hog Raisers Association also lauded members of the ASF Task Force of Negros Occidental for the continued strict monitoring in the airport and seaports to prevent the entry of infected pork meat products, and spare the local industry from getting ASF.
Ta-ala added that once ASF infected the local swine industry, it will mean closure of their businesses and lost jobs for their workers, like what was happening in Luzon.
The provincial ASF Task Force reported that P8,634,325.55 in pork meat products, or about 9,24.27 kilograms, were confiscated and burned, while 12,804.41 kilograms, worth P3,134,086.61, were shipped back to their points of origin, in their two years of operation.
The ASF-TF also deployed veterinary inspectors to conduct strict inspection of cargoes entering the province. An average of 13,833 livestock transport carriers, refrigerated container vans, and related vehicles were inspected properly before they were allowed entry to Negros Occidental, it added.
The ASF-TF established the registration of livestock transport carriers to regulate their movement, and an average of 152 livestock transport carriers and hog vans are disinfected upon entry to the province every month.
The group also inspected 295 grocery stores, supermarkets, meat shops, and cold storage facilities in the towns and cities of Negros Occidental to ensure that these businesses do not sell prohibited pork products.
The ASF-TF also conducted information and education campaigns on ASF prevention provincewide. –MML
