DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA)-Northern Mindanao Director Carlene Collado clarified on Wednesday, February 10, that African Swine Fever (ASF) is not the reason the San Miguel Foods Inc. will be stopping the breeding operations of its Monterey-affiliated piggeries in Bukidnon.
Collado said Bukidnon, where most of the hog production of Northern Mindanao is located, is still ASF-free.
On February 2, San Miguel Foods Inc. Regional Operations Manager Christopher Pangga confirmed that the company's Monterey-affiliated piggeries in Bukidnon will stop their breeding operations starting March 1, 2021.
"This is a business decision, dili sya nagsarado tungod sa ASF," Collado said.
The DA regional director added that the Pangga informed them that a private entity will take over the operations of San Miguel's Monterey-affiliated piggeries in the province.
"With the pronouncement of the operations manager of San Miguel from Mindanao, that there will be an entity will take over the operations of San Miguel, then business as usual. Walay epekto," Collado added.
On February 10, during a press conference in Harbor Lights Hotel in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City, the DA-Northern Mindanao reported the confirmed ASF cases in Barangay Jampason, Initao and Barangay Pajawan, Manticao in Misamis Oriental, and Barangays Mambuaya and San Simon in Cagayan de Oro.
The first ASF case in Northern Mindanao, confirmed on November 18, 2020, was in Barangay Pugaan, Iligan City.