Agriculture Sec urges stakeholders to restore hog population by 2M annually until 2028

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. urged swine industry stakeholders on Thursday to restore the country's hog population to pre-African Swine Fever (ASF) levels, emphasizing the need for an additional two million hogs annually until 2028.

Before ASF hit in 2019, the Philippines had nearly 14 million hogs but now only has eight million, creating a six-million-head deficit that needs to be addressed urgently.

Tiu Laurel expressed confidence in the potential commercial rollout of an ASF vaccine this year and highlighted financial support from the proposed Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act with P4 billion allocated for swine industry recovery.

Two large commercial hog producers have committed to each produce half a million more heads of hogs starting next year, bringing the total additional production to one million heads if they deliver on their commitments.

Undersecretary for Livestock Dante Palabrica has been tasked with creating a roadmap to guide the recovery of the swine industry, which Tiu Laurel called critical to food security and economic growth.

The department stressed that restoring hog populations is essential for reducing pork imports and addressing high prices in Metro Manila, where some cuts exceed P400 per kilogram.