ILOILO City – Commercial and backyard hog raisers in Western Visayas are being urged to secure insurance packages for their pigs.
The threat of African swine fever (ASF) hitting the region remains, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agency Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC).
To apply for livestock mortality insurance, hog raisers must coordinate with their respective local government units (LGU) through the municipal or city agriculture offices, according to PCIC regional manager Eva Ulie Laud.
“PCIC already conducted several meetings with LGU partners, encouraging our backyard hog raisers para inkaso maigo ang baboy sang ASF may ara kita mabulig nga financial assistance,” said Laud.
Under DA’s Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), PCOC hopes to insure 251,928 hog heads in Western Visayas, based on the government’s allocated premium subsidy of over P80 million. Another 121,438 hog heads can be insured by the other programs of the department.
For four months coverage, if hit by ASF, insurers will get P7,000 per head for fattener hogs and P10,000 per head for breeders.
Laud also emphasized that although PCIC indemnifies for loss of animals due to ASF, hog raisers/farmers should still observe preventive measures.
EVERYONE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE
Director Remelyn Recoter of DA Region 6 said it is not only their responsibility to maintain the ASF-free status of the region but all members the community as well.
She urged the public to report suspicious deaths of swine to avoid a repeat of what happened in other regions where people reportedly concealed hog deaths.
Deaths must be reported to the barangay officials or Municipal or City Agriculture Office so the necessary investigation could be conducted, said Recoter.
The regional office is also discouraging Western Visayans from patronizing online pork products.
“Sa subong nga pandemya, uso ang online buying and selling. We discourage that kay we are not sure kun diin naghalalin ang products. It might be from ASF-affected regions,” Recoter said. “Ang aton more than P20-billion swine industry will be at risk.”
Meanwhile, Recoter noted that Negros Occidental had more than 49 percent share in terms of inventory of hog heads in the region – about 1.2 million, citing the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Recoter said the province has around 473,000 heads of swine while Iloilo province came in second with 408,000 heads, as of January 2021. Another round of inventory will be done this May.
The regional director cited that 89 percent of the swine industry in the region came from backyards.
She said 84 percent of the raisers in Iloilo were backyard raisers while 16 percent were commercial raisers.
Antique and Capiz, on the other hand, have the most number of backyard hog raisers.
It is important to strengthen the border restrictions, Recoter stressed, especially in northern Iloilo and Capiz where the nearest area with ASF cases is Masbate. There are direct trips from Masbate coming into the region.
“Ina nga mga areas ang balantayan gid,” Recoter said, adding that the regional office is collaborating with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) with regards to inspection, among other initiatives and efforts.
‘WELCOME DEVELOPMENT’
For Recoter, placing the country under a state of calamity due to ASF, as declared by President Rodrigo Duterte, is a welcome development.
It was in 2019 yet when the DA proposed such a declaration, she said.
“It igives authority to government agencies, not only DA, but also local government units to utilize their quick response fund (QRF) and calamity funds for critical concerns on curtailing the spread of ASF,” Recoter said over state-own Radyo Pilipinas-Iloilo./PN
