Goodbye imports? DA targets swine self-sufficiency
Published May 5, 2026 02:50 pm
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is aiming to expand the domestic swine population by one million heads to nearly 10 million this year, as it begins implementing its ₱1.6-billion swine repopulation program aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on pork imports.
The DA’s target for the local swine population is to reach 9.79 million heads by the end of the year, an increase of one million from the 8.79 million recorded at the end of 2025.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the country needs to produce at least one million more pigs this year to stabilize domestic supply and reduce pork imports.
As part of its repopulation program, the DA is preparing to procure around 32,000 gilts, or female pigs that have not yet produced piglets, which are expected to be distributed to medium- and large-scale farms.
The agency is accelerating efforts to rebuild the country’s swine population in a bid to reach its pre-African swine fever (ASF) level of around 13 million heads by 2028.
The Philippines has been relying on imported meat to augment domestic production and meet the demand of a growing population.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that pork imports in the first two months of the year increased by nearly 23 percent to 151,788 metric tons (MT), compared to 124,047 MT in the same period last year.
Pork cuts were the leading imported pork product in the two-month period, accounting for 63,784 MT or 40 percent of the total.
Brazil was the country’s main source of pork imports with a volume of 73,196 MT, according to the BAI.
As the government works to strengthen the local hog population, Agriculture Undersecretary Constante Palabrica said improved disease control efforts have allowed the easing of emergency measures such as checkpoints.
“We have not detected infected pigs for some time now, which allowed us to dismantle checkpoints in Metro Manila after two years. This reflects the effectiveness of our containment strategies,” he said in a statement.
To support repopulation efforts, the DA is exploring additional suppliers of vaccines against ASF and other diseases to ensure sustained livestock health and resilience.
The DA said scaling up production while maintaining strict biosecurity standards will be critical to achieving long-term stability and reducing dependence on pork imports.