Province to scale up organic hog industry

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Government is scaling up the local hog industry in the province with the “Sugbo-Baboyan sa Limpyo ug Hapsay nga Tugkaran” program.

The Sugbo-Baboyan program is expected to create economic activity in the grassroots level that would also increase the income of the participating households through the production of organically grown native hogs in an environment that is clean and green.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia targets the grassroots communities to bring economic prosperity down to the barangays, puroks, and to the households. Garcia met with the key stakeholders for this new initiative last Monday at the Capitol.

Among those in attendance were DILG Cebu Director Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, provincial veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, provincial agriculturist Dr. Roldan Saragena, and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) chief operating officer Domi Chua.

Chua, the program’s private partner, also asserted that the “economic intent” of the program is to provide livelihood activities and supplement household income for those who will engage in the venture.

Chua also noted that the said program will complement the other primary initiatives of the governor like the Sugbusog backyard gardening and the Capitol’s clean-and-green advocacy.

More to it, the program is expected to support Cebu’s lechon industry by augmenting the supply of native hogs, the preferred hog breeds for lechon purposes due to minimal body fat and tasty pork meat.

As the industry adopts the organic raising of hogs through this program, it is seen also to benefit the workers in the industry, lower consumer price, and maintain the status of Cebu as the lechon capital of the country.

The Sugbo-Baboyan is set to be officially launched next month. – /FPL (FREEMAN)