DA says pork supply stabilizing

MANILA, Philippines — The supply of pork is slowly stabilizing amid enhanced production and supply augmentation from other countries supported by measures against African swine fever (ASF), according to the Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said there is enough pork supply in the country amid the increasing hog inventory, following efforts to strengthen and enhance local production and augment it through the support from other countries.

Figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country’s hog inventory increased by 7.7 percent to 9.8 million heads from last year’s 9.1 million heads.

Bureau of Animal Industry director Reildrin Morales attributed the increase to the initiatives and efforts of the private sector, swine raisers’ groups, and professional veterinary associations that continue to battle the threat of ASF.

“These efforts, implemented in partnership with LGUs, have been instrumental in keeping the industry alive,” Morales said.

With the increase in hog population, the DA said pork supply has slowly stabilized as imported frozen items continued to augment the production from local raisers.

“These imported products are kept in cold storages and will be released to simply augment the supply gap. This is never meant to compete with the local producers,” Morales added.

Latest figures from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) show that a total of 59,398.51 metric tons (MT) of frozen imported pork in accredited cold storages in the country as of Jan. 3.

This is slightly lower than the 62,098.84 MT registered in the previous week, but nearly double the 32,449.48 MT in the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, the DA remains optimistic that the hog industry will gain momentum this year, and recover from its losses due to the havoc caused by ASF since 2019 as it will continue to implement measures against the disease.

“This year, DA continues to implement twin programs Bantay ASF sa Barangay (BaBay ASF) program and Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion under the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Livestock Program respectively, to bring the multi-million peso industry back on its feet,” the DA said.

As of Jan. 13, active cases of ASF are reported in 45 barangays in 17 municipalities in Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, Davao and Caraga.

Based on the monitoring activities of the local government units (LGUs), validated by the DA-Regional Field Offices, 553 cities and municipalities have been reported to be ASF-free for three months, 88 with no reported cases for three to six months, and 435  with no cases for six months.

The DA said a total of 36 municipalities have also been released from quarantine.

Morales said more areas, particularly in Benguet and Batangas, have upgraded their zoning status with the direction of the Babay ASF.

BaBay ASF extends technical assistance including disease monitoring, surveillance, and control. The initiative calls for stricter surveillance and monitoring efforts, which include setting up biosecurity measures for commercial and backyard piggeries.

Morales added that once out of the red zone status, the areas could now start with the repopulation to increase and stabilize production.

As of this month, about 13,870 sentinel pigs have been distributed in areas that have zero cases.