THE Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Occidental reported that the province remains to be the top producer of commercial swine in Western Visayas based on the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) Livestock Inventory from 1994 to present.
PSA data showed that for January and April 2021, Negros Occidental has a swine population of 473,517 heads and 467,955 heads, respectively.
It is followed by Iloilo with 408,270 and 406,707 heads, and Capiz with 129,786 and 127,681 heads also in January and April this year, respectively.
The PVO, though, noted a decrease of 40,633 heads in the inventory of backyard swine population from 410,088 heads to 369,455 for the first four months of the year.
It was, however, covered up by the increase in commercial production of over 35,000 heads that enabled the province to maintain its ranking.
In April, the province produced 98,500 heads of commercial swine. It is higher than 63,429 heads in January.
For the same period, January to April 2021, the PSA reported that Negros Occidental steadily placed fourth in the country in terms of both backyard and commercial swine production.
Bukidnon is on the lead with 671,363 heads, followed by Batangas with 596,036 heads and Cebu with 522,113 heads.
South Cotabato ranked fifth with 451,363 heads followed by Iloilo - 406,707 heads; Davao Del Sur - 387,430 heads; Bohol - 360,271 heads; Palawan - 320,988 heads; and Negros Oriental - 266,399 heads.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said the swine production status of the province has been sustained by various programs and projects initiated by the Provincial Government.
These initiatives, Decena said, are anchored on the Abanse Negrense Development Agenda on agricultural productivity and food security.
Through which, the province has operated four Swine Artificial Insemination and Laboratory Centers and distributed 1,000 heads of breeder piglets to local hog raisers last year.
For this year, the province is distributing another 500 breeder piglets and 200 pure breed gilts under its Provincial Animal Genetic Improvement Program (Pagip) aimed to further boost its swine productivity.
“In support to the productivity effort, the PVO is also strengthening the production base of backyard swine raisers through expansion of hog raisers association membership,” he said, adding that some 6,120 backyard hog raisers were listed as new members of Alliance of Hog Raisers Association in Negros Occidental (Ahrano).
The PVO is also banking on the extension of technical assistance in the form of technical training to backyard raisers who have leveled up into commercial production, the veterinarian said.