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The average daily volume of hogs shipped from areas free of African swine fever (ASF) to Metro Manila is 4,560 heads
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The highest recorded shipment to date is 6,800 heads shipped on February 16
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The daily average is already higher than the 4,000 hogs slaughtered daily, which means “we have more than enough hogs,” DA said
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Many of the wet markets and the supermarkets have adjusted their prices within the ceiling, DA said
The average daily volume of hogs shipped to Metro Manila from areas free of the African swine fever (ASF) is 4,560 heads, with the highest recorded shipment from February 8 to date at 6,800 heads, shipped on February 16, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The daily average is already higher than the 4,000 hogs slaughtered daily, which means “we have more than enough hogs,” according to DA secretary William Dar.
“We have seen many of the wet markets and the supermarkets have now adjusted their prices within the ceiling,” Dar added.
The latest shipment on February 17 had 2,000 live hogs from Biotech Farms in South Cotabato, which arrived at Vitas Port, Pier 18, at Tondo, Manila. The hogs will be supplied to Quezon City public markets.
The ASF, which first broke out in the country in 2019, has disrupted the operations of hog growers in Luzon, prompting the need for supply to be shipped in from Visayas and Mindanao.
The shipment of hogs from ASF-free areas, particularly from the Visayas and Mindanao, is part of the government’s sustained efforts to augment the supply of pork and eventually lower the prices of the commodity in Metro Manila.
READ: Mindanao, Visayas hog farmers begin shipments to NCR
DA recently implemented special hog lanes or food highways to help boost supply, particularly to Luzon, and ensure unhampered delivery of agricultural products across the country.
Moreover, DA is assisting hog raisers by providing them a P21 transport subsidy per kilo of live pork or of pork in a box that will be transferred from Mindanao to Metro Manila; P15 per kilo from Visayas, Bicol, MIMAROPA, and extreme North Luzon; and P10 per kilo from CALABARZON and Central Luzon.
Dar earlier said they are also planning to fund the fuel requirements of trucks handling pork shipments to Metro Manila.
To contain rising prices, the Philippine government has recently placed a 60-day price cap on pork and chicken products in Metro Manila.
Dar said DA is now coordinating with the United States Department of Agriculture regarding the procurement of an ASF vaccine that is currently being clinically and field-tested in Vietnam.
