ILOILO CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA)-6 assured enough pork supply amid the rising cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Western Visayas.
Dr. John Roel Hilario, DA-6 regional veterinary quarantine officer, said the number of hogs in the region is enough to sustain the demand of consumers.
Data from the DA-6 said that when ASF was spreading in the last quarter of 2022, pork sufficiency was 304.69 percent.
There was a surplus of 36,538.73 metric tons as consumption demand was 17,850.82 metric tons.
As of January, there are 1.2 million heads of hog available in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental as well as he highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
Hilario noted that hog production is mostly backyard, which accounts for 89.90 percent of the 1.2 million heads available. The remaining 10 percent is raised in commercial farms.
ASF cases have been recorded in Iloilo, Guimaras, and Capiz as of this month.
The impact of ASF is still felt as trading and transportation restrictions meant losses for hog farmers.