• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has observed an increase in the pork supply, signaling the recovery of the local livestock industry from the devastating impact of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Dr. Placeda Lemana, head of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), confirmed during an interview that there are currently no cases of ASF in the province.
“We have sufficient supply because we have already recovered from ASF, and we have zero cases as of now,” she explained, citing that hog raisers are now able to produce more pigs, leading to more affordable prices for consumers and a more stable market.
Due to the recovery, the number of hogs in the area has increased and helped stabilize the supply of pork in local markets.
As a result, Lemana revealed that as per their latest record, the price of pork in markets are now at 250-340 pesos per kilo, while the live weight prices run at 120-150 pesos per kilo.
Lemana further said that the recent flooding in the province brought by Typhoons Tino and Uwan had minimal effects on the hog and poultry industries.
“Not all barangays were hardly hit. But some cows, pigs, and carabaos near the riverbanks have died due to flash floods. Based on our monitoring, those livestock weren’t able to leave because they had been tied,” she stressed, claiming that poultry and hog industries in districts 4 and 5 were the ones that were affected.
Meanwhile, the poultry farms in the province remain healthy despite the effect of the typhoons in the month of November.
Authorities are expecting that the recent prices of pork meat and products will still spike as the demand goes up with the Christmas season.*
