BACOLOD City – The commercial hog raisers in Negros Occidental are shipping pork to meat shop chains in Cebu starting this month as a marketing strategy to support its swine industry amid the African swine fever (ASF) scare.
Provincial veterinarian Dr. Renate Decena on Wednesday said the target is an average delivery of one container van per week.
“Commercial raisers have a key role, not only in meeting the demand but also in providing good quality pork to consumers,” Decena added.
Negros Occidental, the country’s number one backyard hog producer, with a P6-billion swine industry, has enforced since Sept. 18 the temporary ban on the entry of pork and pork products from Luzon, where positive cases of ASF have been reported.
Decena said the province is also helping backyard raisers continue their shipment of live pigs to Cebu amid the strict quarantine regulations imposed by its provincial government.
This was made possible through the issuance of a backyard swine farm certificate by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), in lieu of the farm registration from the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Decena said backyard swine raisers in Negros Occidental have successfully shipped nearly 2,000 heads of live pigs to Cebu last month.
As part of its initiatives, the PVO has provided post-harvest facilities to local hog raisers’ associations and established linkages to buyers from neighboring provinces, such as Cebu and Aklan.
Decena said the PVO is expecting improvements in the price of pork in the upcoming holiday season as demand for pork products is seen to increase.
In Negros Occidental, the price of pork has decreased in recent months amid the lean season and the ASF scare.
“The low demand for pork resulted in the increase of available supply, which eventually led to the lower price of the commodity,” said Decena.(With a report from PNA/PN)
