The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will come up with a roadmap to revive the country’s hog population to at least 14 million by 2028 in its post-African Swine Fever (ASF) recovery drive for the swine industry.
The current plan is to produce an additional 2 million hogs annually until 2028, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said during the National Hog Convention and Trade Exhibit in Pasay City on Thursday.
“Before ASF, we had nearly 14 million hogs; now, we have 8 million. This creates a 6-million head deficit. With a growing population, demand is far higher than the previous 14 million,” Tiu Laurel said.
“My challenge to the industry is clear: we need to produce an additional 2 million hogs each year through 2026, 2027 and 2028 to return to pre-ASF levels…and that’s the minimum,” Tiu Laurel added.
He also said that two large commercial hog producers have already committed to each produce half a million more heads of hogs starting 2026.
“If they deliver, I already have around 1 million additional heads,” Tiu Laurel further said.
The DA chief also tasked Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Dante Palabrica in creating a roadmap to guide the recovery of the swine industry, which he called critical to the nation’s food security and economic growth.
Tiu Laurel said the roadmap would be important with the expected passing of the proposed animal industry competitiveness enhancement fund wherein around P4 billion would be allocated for the swine industry to support its recovery and growth.
DA explained that if the swine industry could restore population to pre-ASF levels, it would also mean a reduction in pork imports.
About 6 million hogs were destroyed in the onslaught of the ASF since it hit the country in 2019, the DA recalled.
Meanwhile, the rate of compliance with the pork maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) has exceeded 40 percent, from the initial 20 percent, based on information gathered from monitored stalls, and has reached 6 to 7 percent on the logistics side.
“We will meet again with the industry on Monday (March 31) to sort out, to identify where the issues are. But as of the moment, as far as the farm level is concerned, majority (of the hogs producers) are complying. A few are not complying but most of these are small ones, but we will address that,” Tiu Laurel said.
In a separate statement, the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said that farmgate prices of pork have not exceeded the agreed P230 per kg maximum suggested retail price (MSRP).
“We remain committed to the pork MSRP, despite the difficulties on many backyard hog farms, just so we can contribute to efforts to reduce pork prices,” SINAG chairperson Rosendo So said.
