THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental is sustaining its hog shipment to different parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
In fact, the volume is expected to escalate in the coming days based on the trend for the past months.
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported that Negros Occidental was able to ship 8,285 heads of live hogs in April this year.
Of the figure, 45.56 percent or 3,775 heads were sourced from commercial farms and 54.47 percent or 4,510 heads from backyard farms.
In May, live hog shipments reached a total of 6,829 heads comprising 4,423 heads or 64.77 percent commercial and 2,406 heads or 35.23 percent backyard swine.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said business confidence for the province’s commercial and backyard raisers continue to rise as live hog prices hit a significant price increase of P5 per kilo, from April to May, posting an average price of P137.50 per kilogram live weight for April to P142.50 per kilogram live weight in May.
Decena, however, said there has been a notable decrease in shipment for the month of May due to various weather disturbances affecting the movement of cargo vessels.
During the first half of June, a total of 2,586 heads were shipped to Luzon markets such as Manila, Laguna, Makati, Cainta Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Novaliches, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija, as well as some neighboring provinces in the Visayas such as Cebu, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.
Decena said the lower price of P132.50 per kilogram live weight noted during this period was due to the increase of local hog production.
“This shows that there is no significant increase of pork prices in the market affecting local consumers amid the continuous outgoing shipment of hogs by the province,” he added.
The Provincial Government is upbeat about having the capacity to accommodate increasing demands of hog supply in different parts of the country for the coming months while ensuring sustainable local supply.
Decena pointed out that there are no lean months in pork consumption being a prime commodity as table food for the family.
In terms of price, PVO records showed that the average prevailing market price of pork this week is P231.33.
It is lower by P0.31 per kilo compared to last week’s price of P231.64 per kilo.
Bacolod City was noted to have the highest market price of pork, at P257.50 per kilo.
The lowest price, on the other hand, was noted in six localities such as Don Salvador Benedicto, Moises Padilla, Hinigaran, Isabela, Sipalay City and Hinoba-an, at P210 per kilo.
Decena said the PVO continues to boost its animal productivity and breeding efficiency program.
“We give emphasis on the long-time genetic improvement that impact the lives of our raisers in terms of economy and ensuring food sufficiency not only in the province but in other parts of the country,” he added.