TO CONTROL the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the grassroots level, a multi-sectoral partnership has been created to launch the Bantay ASF sa Barangay program (BABay ASF).
Human and animal nutrition provider ADM Philippines has teamed up with the Philippine College of Swine Practitioners (PCSP) and its partners from the private and public sectors to form this interdisciplinary program that will assist local hog raisers in Mindanao.
BABay ASF aims to control the ASF and revive the livelihoods of both backyard and commercial swine farmers through biosecurity, surveillance and monitoring, as well as restocking of swine farms affected by the disease.
“ASF is the worst disease to hit the Philippine swine industry in recent years,” Dr. Max Montenegro of PCSP said.
Currently, ASF is present in 11 regions, 34 provinces, 392 municipalities and over 2,000 barangays nationwide. So far, it has cost the Philippine hog industry at least P56 billion, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The DA launched on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, the national hog repopulation and “Bantay sa ASF sa Barangay” twin program, with combined public and private investments of P29.6 billion, aimed at effectively controlling ASF and reviving the badly hit swine industry.
ADM donated P5 million worth of assistance for the program to protect the “green zones,” or areas which remain free of ASF, in Mindanao. This funding will cover training sessions for volunteers, farmer seminars and procurement of more than 700 Nanogold ASF Test Kits and cPCR test kits. (JOB)