ILOILO City – Western Visayas is among the last four regions without recorded cases of the African swine fever (ASF) along with MIMAROPA, Central Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.
Local stakeholders consider the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay “ or (BABay ASF) program as advantageous in protecting the P20-billion hog industry of the region from the ASF epidemic.
“We will involve barangay councils and deputize volunteer barangay bio-security officers and private veterinarians to carry out the BABay ASF program with the provincial veterinarians as the project lead in the implementation,” said Department of Agriculture (DA) regional executive director Remelyn Recoter during the program launching in Kalibo, Aklan on March 11.
As a collaborative undertaking of the national and local government, and the private sector, the BABay ASF targets to create an effective ASF monitoring, surveillance, and reporting system, to intensify the practice of biosecurity measures in all hog farms, and to assist in recovering the industry.
“We are encouraging the public to immediately report any suspicious swine mortality in their areas for us to easily contain and prevent the further spread of the virus,” Recoter said.
The BABay ASF program is part only of the “whole of nation” approach in reviving the hog industry and reducing the pork prices because ASF had affected several major swine-producing regions.
“DA is prioritizing hog production and repopulation in green zone areas. We requested for the realignment of our 2020 savings, and had apportioned funds from the 2021 budget of the Livestock Program for the repopulation and establishment of multiplier farms, and animal restocking in Western Visayas,” said Recoter.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed Region 6 shipped 70,000 hogs in 2020 and had so far sent out 50,000 hogs to Luzon this 2021.
“We are contributing 16 percent of the shipment of live hogs to Metro Manila this year,” said Recoter who added that Western Visayas has the lowest farm-gate price for live hogs nationwide which averages P132 per kilogram.
With the recent confirmed ASF cases in Masbate, Misamis Oriental, and Cagayan De Oro, provincial governors in Western Visayas have already amended their executive orders on the banning of pork and pork products coming in from affected areas.
Recoter lauded the spontaneous support and cooperation of the LGU partners, private companies, and associations of hog raisers in the region in delivering the different preventive measures and activities versus ASF. (DA-6/PN)
