ILOILO City – Swine raisers and women associations in Western Visayas are encouraged to engage in pork processing amid the high surplus of the products in the region.
Regional executive director Remelyn Recoter of the Department of Agriculture (DA-6) Regional Field Unit in Western Visayas on Tuesday said, aside from the surplus, they should take advantage of the campaign not to patronize pork products and by-products sold online as a precautionary measure against African swine fever (ASF).
“This is an opportunity for associations, swine raisers, and other groups to engage in processing of pork products such as longganiza and tocino as a replacement from other regions, which we are not sure if the raw materials that they are using are coming from affected areas,” she said during the virtual meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
According to the official, DA and local government units can provide the training program they need to start with their pork and other pork products processing.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the region has 1,203,430 heads as of April 1, a difference of 1.74 percent compared with the 1,224,836 heads in the same period last year.
“In terms of pork sufficiency level of Western Visayas, we have more than enough of pork in Western Visayas at 285 percent. We have a net surplus of 126,747 metric tons,” she added.
During the first semester of this year, the region shipped to Luzon 186, 846 heads of swine.
Recoter stated that the closure of Boracay Island and the cancellation of events related to meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibits have contributed to the surplus in the production of pork and pork products in the region.
Currently, the region remains ASF-free.(PNA)
