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Negros Occidental hog raisers opt to sell pigs in Metro Manila

By Nanette Guadalquiver

March 17, 2023, 7:27 pm

<p><strong>SELLING LIVE PIGS</strong>. A file photo of live pigs from Negros Occidental province being transported to Luzon island. Hog suppliers in Negros Occidental have opted to transport live pigs to buyers in Luzon, particularly Metro Manila, after they have been restricted from passing through Cebu ports going to the Eastern Visayas region. (<em>Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office)</em></p>

SELLING LIVE PIGS. A file photo of live pigs from Negros Occidental province being transported to Luzon island. Hog suppliers in Negros Occidental have opted to transport live pigs to buyers in Luzon, particularly Metro Manila, after they have been restricted from passing through Cebu ports going to the Eastern Visayas region. (Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office)

BACOLOD CITY – Hog suppliers in Negros Occidental province have opted to transport live pigs to buyers in Luzon, particularly Metro Manila, after they have been restricted from passing through the Cebu ports going to the Eastern Visayas region.

Cebu banned the entry of live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen, pork, and pork-related products from Negros Island from March 6 to April 5 after pigs from Negros supposedly contaminated the hogs in Carcar City, where hogs have been found positive for African swine fever (ASF).

As of Friday, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has yet to respond to the appeal of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson here to allow hogs from the province to pass through the Cebu ports.

"I'm just hoping that we can get a feedback but then it's possible we're not. But in the meantime, our hog raisers are back selling to Manila," Lacson said.

Data from the Provincial Veterinary Office showed that since March 7, hog raisers in Negros Occidental were able to supply 1,100 heads of live pigs to Metro Manila.

"I was told they are back delivering to Manila. Although the prices are lower than that of Leyte, but the thing is it's important that we can sell. That's the latest information I received from the Provincial Vet. It's PHP20 per kilo less. That's huge but it's still better that they can sell," he told reporters.

Lacson said the possibility of passing through Dumaguete port via Dipolog port going to Leyte province has been considered but the transport cost is too high.

Negros Occidental, which has a PHP6-billion swine industry, is listed as a dark green zone or ASF-free by the Department of Agriculture (DA).

After the DA confirmed the ASF infection in Cebu, Negros Occidental, along with Bacolod City, imposed a ban on the entry of all live pigs, boar semen, pork, pork products and other pork-related items from Cebu province, including Bantayan Island and Camotes Island.

The ban of the province and this city also covers Luzon, Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Panay Island and Guimaras Island, which all have reported cases of ASF between 2019 and 2022. (PNA)


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