Negros Occidental’s loss to hog diseases reaches P199.58 million

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Occidental is reeling from the impact of African swine fever (ASF) and other diseases as the amount of damage to the local hog industry has almost breached the P200-million mark as of Sunday.

The provincial government is preparing P10 million in subsidy that will be provided to affected hog raisers in different municipalities. It said the amount of losses has reached at least P199.58 million.

Provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz yesterday said they would provide P2,000 in cash aid to every affected hog raiser in San Enrique and Ilog towns, which posted the highest number of hog fatalities.

As of Sunday, the provincial animal biosecurity incident management team recorded a total of 17,801 hog fatalities, or 9.83 percent of the province’s total pig population of 181,048.

No hog death was recorded from Aug. 11 to 13, which Diaz attributed to the raisers’ compliance with protocols set by the Bureau of Animal Industry, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.

The provincial government is looking at utilizing its savings to help or accommodate more affected hog raisers.