DAVAO Region is still not free from the African Swine Fever (ASF) after two hogs in a barangay in Bansalan, Davao del Sur were found to be infected with the virus three weeks ago, an official from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Davao said.
DA Regional Director Ricardo Oñate told SunStar Davao in a phone interview on Tuesday, June 23, that they are currently tracing how the hogs in Bansalan got infected.
He said, however, that based on their initial investigation, the hogs came from Davao Occidental, the ground zero of ASF outbreak in the region.
"Kaya nga sa bagong kaso na ito, di pa rin natin masasabi na ASF-free na ang entire Davao Region (With the recent case, this doesn't signify that the entire Davao Region is ASF-free)," Oñate said.
The DA official said a total of 17 hogs, including the two dead ones, were depopulated to control the spread of the virus, which still has no vaccine or medicine.
He also said they are currently monitoring another reported hog deaths in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, adding that samples were already sent to the agency to determine if other hogs were also infected by the virus.
Meanwhile, Davao City has not reported any new hog deaths related to ASF since February.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on Monday, June 22, that while the city reported recent deaths in Barangay Inayangan, Calinan District, all tested negative for the virus.
Oñate also confirmed the statement of the mayor, saying they were able to contain the spread of the virus in Calinan.
He said, however, that the entire area is still under the "1-7-10 Protocol" restriction wherein movements in the transportation of live animals, either in and out, are still restricted. But now, the restriction perimeters are now reduced to half-kilometer.
He also cited the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions as one of the factors that helped in containing the spread of ASF to other parts of Davao City.
But he also said it did not help improve the state of the hog industry as it affected the sales of hog meat and products due to the limited markets.
"Actually, we are oversupplied. We have a problem in selling it in the market since there is a restriction in terms of people allowed in going out to buy meat products due to the threat of the Covid-19," Oñate said.
Meanwhile, he said the DA is currently reaching out to market Davao Region's hog products to other parts in Luzon.
To address the excessive pork supply, he said there is a need to establish more cold storage facilities in the country to reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmers' income.
Based on their latest ASF-classification, Sulop in Davao del Sur and all the towns in Davao Occidental, except Sarangani, are considered red or infected zones.
Meanwhile, pink or the buffer zones are Padada, Malalag, and Kiblawan in Davao del Sur and Davao City.
Those that are identified as protected zones or light green zones are Panabo City, towns of Sto. Tomas, and Talaingod in Davao del Norte, and Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur.
The rest of the areas in Davao Region are tagged as free zones or dark green zones.