CEBU'S pork supply remains dependent on imports from other provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.
This was revealed by Jane Bacayo, national director of the National Meat Inspection Service yesterday during the launch of the 17th Hog Convention and Trade Exhibit.
Sixty percent of Cebu’s pork is supplied by hog raisers from other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao like the ones in Capiz, Iloilo, Bacolod and General Santos. Forty percent of the province’s supply comes from local producers or hog raisers.
Albert Lim Jr., president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI), the organizer of the hog convention, said the situation in Cebu is mainly due to the province being highly urbanized.
Most of the hog raisers in Cebu, especially the backyard raisers, are based in remote areas, making it difficult for the hog raiser to transport the hogs.
In the country, backyard hog raisers, many of whom are only able to raise as much as 20 heads at one time, account for 70 percent of the total hog producers, while the
rest are commercial hog raisers.
Decline
Plutarco Ong, chairman of the Cebu Association of Meat and Poultry Products (Campp), also confirmed that the number of hog raisers in Cebu Province has declined as well.
Ong said the drop in the number of hog raisers in the province is mainly caused by the increase in feed prices that, in turn, resulted from the low supply of corn.
He added that the hog industry is also competing with the poultry industry for corn supply.
Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Dr. Daviño Catbagan assured, though, that production in the Visayas and Mindanao can still be considered “normal.”
Ong said he is hoping that more people will be convinced to go into pig raising during the hog farming congress on Saturday. He added that there are several people interested to go into hog-raising but don’t have the technical knowledge to start the business.
Loans
Catbagan said hog raisers in the Visayas and Mindanao have an important role to play in stabilizing the pork supply situation nationwide.
Lim said he has made a proposal to the Department of Agriculture to grant loans from the Agriculture Comprehensive Enhancement Fund (Acef) to piggeries based in the Visayas and Mindanao to enable them to double their production.
Lim said the industry does not want the retail price of pork to reach P200 per kilo since this would be unbearable for consumers.
Currently, hog raisers in Pampanga and the Calabarzon (Calamba, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) areas are also expected to re-stock and reinforce their breed of hogs to catch up with the demand, said Catbagan.
Hogs in these areas were affected by the outbreak of hog cholera last year.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing a “massive vaccination program,” funded by P40 million from the President’s livestock program, for these areas, said Agriculture Undersecretary Jesus Emmanuel Paras.
Industry stakeholders hope to recover from the “tight supply” situation by June or July this year.
In the meantime, Catbagan encouraged meat processors to take advantage of the minimum access volume of allowable imported meat for this year, which is at 54,000 metric tons for pork. (DME)
