Now that the Philippines is under a state of calamity due to African Swine Fever (ASF), the Department of Agriculture (DA) is hoping to get more budget of at least P6 billion to boost efforts to fight the dreaded animal virus that already resulted in billions of losses to the local hog industry.
During Laging Handa briefing, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the DA now needs an additional P6 billion budget so that it can fulfill its three-year massive hog repopulation program.
The DA expects to spend around P27 billion in the next three years to address ASF spread and bankroll repopulation of pigs nationwide.
“That’s our existing budgetary resources for repopulation and recovery program for the hog industry. We need P6.6 billion more for this year so that in the next three years, we will have P27 billion needed to fully accelerate the industry,” Dar said.
“Now, we will continue to present interventions to fight ASF. If we don’t have resources before, we can now have it under state of calamity. We will have more access to resources that we can mobilize.
It was just on Tuesday when Malacañang signed the proclamation that seeks to put the entire Philippines in a state of emergency due to ASF outbreaks, which have been pushing meat prices, especially pork, higher.
The Philippines was first hit by ASF in 2019 and as of January this year, the country’s total local swine inventory already dropped by 24.1 percent.
Based on Proclamation No. 1143, the entire Philippines will be in a state of calamity for a period of one year, unless earlier lifted or extended as circumstances may warrant.
As part of this, all government agencies and local government units (LGUs) are enjoined to render full assistance to and cooperation with each other, and mobilize the necessary resources to undertake critical, urgent, and appropriate measures in a timely manner to curtail the further spread of ASF.
Dar said that such a development will also help DA immediately pay hog raisers whose pigs were culled in order to contain the spread of ASF.
The LGUs will likewise receive additional funds in order to purchase testing machines and mobile disinfection trucks.
By 2023, the government targets bring back around 225,103 breeders out of the 332,928 breeders that were gone due to ASF, while private sector initiatives will bring additional 215,460 breeders.
By that time, the value of production will go back to P157 billion, with carcass equivalent at 738,805 metric tons, benefitting 115,800 farmers, Dar said.