DA unveils ASF recovery program for swine industry

A three-year development blueprint for the essential food sector aims to bring back the domestic swine production to levels prior to the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

The updated Agriculture Development Program covering the years 2023 to 2025 is awaiting the approval of President Marcos who is concurrently serving as DA chief.

“We talk of swine recovery, at least we go back to the original pre-ASF inventory which is around 12 million [heads]. Now, it’s around 9 million [heads],” said Ruth Miclat-Sonaco, director of the DA’s National Livestock Program.

She told reporters that Mr. Marcos wants the medium-term road map to outline the specific activities to boost output of each agriculture sector.

Compensating hog raisers affected by the ASF is the highest priority among the items to be accomplished by the DA in three years.

“Indemnification [is] on top of the list. We want to include the indemnification [of swine producers],” Sonaco said.

It will also focus on implementing the expanded Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (Inspire) program and building the first cold examination facility.

Fast track

Unveiled in February 2021, the Inspire program seeks to fast-track calibrated repopulation and production expansion through farm clustering and consolidation.

The government has set aside about P1 billion to construct two cold examination facilities in agriculture in major ports nationwide this year, with the first one to rise in Subic, Zambales province.

Such facilities, which will house examination areas and laboratories, aims to avert the entry of smuggled goods and transboundary agri-fishery pests and diseases.

The DA’s war against ASF is far from over as there are still active cases of this virus in seven regions, 10 provinces, 35 municipalities and 78 barangays as of April 11, based on data from the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Since the 2019 outbreak, the ASF has affected a total of 17 regions, 63 provinces, 816 municipalities and 4,422 barangays.

Sonaco said the medium-term plan, if carried out, is expected to scale up local output and improve the livelihood of agricultural producers.

“Of course, we aim for the increased production which would hopefully redound to increased income of farmers,” she added.

In February, the DA announced the crafting of this development plan that would promote agricultural productivity in the Philippines, with emphasis on rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries as priority commodities under the current administration.

It also includes postharvest and processing, logistics improvement, market linkages and arrangements and research and development. INQ