THE Cebu Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has assured that there will be an adequate supply of pork products for the upcoming Christmas and New Year, despite the successive implementation of bans in various areas of the country due to the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, PVO head, said that due to the increase in ASF cases in other areas, Cebu is now the leading pork producer in the country.
“As to the inventory and production, Cebu Province is sufficient in pork and pork product apart from becoming the number one hog producer because other provinces in Mindanao and Luzon have recorded ASF cases. That’s why the status of Cebu Province has gone up,” Vincoy said in a mix of Cebuano and English on Monday, October 17, 2022.
She said local pork producers not only supply the Cebu market but also supply other parts of the country.
“As of January to June, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority, Cebu Province and Central Visayas have a sufficient supply of pigs even though we ship them to other parts of the country. There’s a lot of efforts to produce. Most of our commercial farms produce piglets for the ‘sentinel’ program for the pig repopulation efforts in Luzon. We support the repopulation efforts of the government, but we also have to address the local demand,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
However, Vincoy believes the price of pork will increase during the holiday season due to high demand.
On October 13, the Provincial Government banned live pigs and pork products from Iloilo and Panay Island after having banned live pigs and pork products from Luzon and Mindanao in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The Provincial Government strictly monitors all points of entry to prevent these items from getting through.
Meanwhile, Cebu Province remains ASF free. (ANV, PJB)