BACOLOD City – The province of Negros Occidental recorded a notable decrease in the number of hogs exported, data from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) showed.
PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana said the volume of hogs shipped out significantly dropped from approximately 10,000 heads in July this year to only over 3,000 heads this September.
The primary reason for the decline was the cancellation of the Certificate of Free Status (CFS) for African Swine Fever (ASF) by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) following the detection of an ASF case in Hinigaran town.
The town was subsequently categorized as an ASF red zone.
Under a red zone, the movement of live pigs, pork, pork products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products, except cooked and canned processed pork products), and swine genetic materials in and out of the area are prohibited.
The PVO further said that aside from ASF, swine deaths were also attributed to hog cholera.
Meanwhile, Lemana assured Negrenses of the pork supply in the province, provided that both commercial and backyard raisers refrain from selling hogs and pork products outside the province.
The PVO head said hog raisers might be tempted to sell to buyers from other regions due to the more attractive prices offered compared to local buyers.
Based on the PVO’s monitoring, the current price of pork in the province ranges from P285 to P290 per kilo.
The purchase price for live weight hogs is approximately P175 to P185 per kilo for commercial raisers and P165 to P175 per kilo for backyard raisers. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
