MANILA, Philippines — An agricultural group Samahan ng Industriya at Agrikultura (SINAG) has noted a 50 percent decline in Luzon’s sow population this year.
According to SINAG President Rosendo So, there are currently about 1.8 million head of mother pigs across the country from which about 600,000 to 700,000 can be found in Luzon.
Of the total pig population in the region, about 150,000 were affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) and about 200,000 were slaughtered for sale.
This is the main reason why supply of pork is scarce in markets across Metro Manila.
“Medyo takot ng mga raiser so ang the best na gawin is temporary huwag muna magalaga and ang ginawa is binenta ang mga inahin (There is apprehension among hog raisers, so temporarily, the best thing to do is to stop hog raising and sell their pigs),” So said.
The zoning map of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) shows the prevalence of ASF infection, marked in red, in Central Luzon, some parts of CALABARZON, and Northern Luzon.
Meanwhile, most areas in the Visayas and Mindanao are marked in green meaning these areas are still free of ASF.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to source pig supply from these areas and deliver them to Luzon.
Also, the DA has allotted enough funds to improve the country’s hog industry by raising more pigs especially in areas affected by the pig disease.
“Meron tayong almost P400M na ready naka-realease na doon sa Regions CALABARZON and Central Luzon, para dito sa rehiyon around Metro Manila ay pwede dito mag restocking na magumpisa muli ang hog industry,” Secretary WIlliam Dar said.
(We have released almost P400M to the CALABARZON region and Central Luzon so that regions around Metro Manila may restock and restart the hog industry.)
For now, a kilogram of pork costs around P250 in major markets in Metro Manila. MNP (with reports from Rey Pelayo)
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