BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental is exporting between 8,000 and 12,000 heads of hogs to other provinces every month.
The province remains free of African swine fever (ASF).
Among the areas being supplied include the neighboring islands of Panay and Cebu, as well as Luzon.
Dr. Placeda Lemana, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said the province has a hog production surplus, and being ASF-free means they can send out hogs everywhere.
Negrense hogs are sought for their good quality, which Lemana attributed to the province’s genetic improvement program.
Negros Occidental is currently the top backyard hog producer in the country and the local industry’s price tag was pegged at more than P6 billion.
Since 2019, Negros Occidental has prohibited the entry of live hogs and pork products from Luzon, Mindanao and Eastern Visayas after their respective provinces reported cases of ASF./PN
