BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental swine raisers are now getting better prices for their live pigs from buyers in Metro Manila since resuming shipments to the National Capital Region (NCR) about two weeks ago.
“Now, prices are higher compared to when they started about two weeks ago. Prices have picked up. Our hog raisers are happy despite the ban and restrictions by Cebu,” said Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz yesterday.
He said Negros Occidental remains one of the suppliers of pork products for the NCR.
Earlier, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said hog raisers will lose P18 million a week if Cebu continues its border closure for pork and pork-related products from Negros Island due to suspected African Swine Fever (ASF) cases.
Some commercial hog raisers were forced to divert their shipments either to Mindanao or Luzon which was cumbersome as they were forced to take far-flung routes, or in Luzon’s case the price of pork was lower by P20 compared to Eastern Visayas, PVO said.
Diaz is hopeful that the province would remain free from ASF so it could continue shipping out pork to other areas of the country.
Negros Occidental, which has a P6-billion swine industry, remains ASF-free based on the list of the Department of Agriculture. (With reports from Philippine News Agency)/PN
