THE Duterte administration will spend some P2.47 billion to bankroll various interventions aimed at increasing local hog production by 10 percent, according to a road map prepared by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
The BAI, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, said there is a need to boost output to keep pace with the continuous increase in demand for pork.
Citing data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the road map noted that per capita consumption of pork in the Philippines is increasing at 5 percent annually. Annual per capita consumption is projected to reach 15.6 kilograms by 2022, from the 2015 baseline of 14.9 kg.
“The Hog Road Map has the following missions: modernize and restructure the production and postproduction and marketing system to provide safe, nutritious, affordable and accessible products to consumers,” it read.
“[Also], lift small producers from poverty and increase resiliency to climate change and provide opportunities for all segments in the value chain to modernize and be globally competitive,” the road map added.
Citing OECD data, the BAI said the country’s pork consumption of 15.6 kg per capita by 2022 would translate into a hog requirement of 25 million heads, or 3 million more than the estimated 22-million hog requirement in 2015.
The road map said the country’s total hog population in 2016 was only at 12.47 million heads of which 64 percent came from commercial farms.
“The hog stakeholders targeted that the population of hogs in the Philippines should increase by at least 10 percent, from the present inventory of 12.47 million to 13.72 million in 2027,” it read.
The government also aims to help the hog industry increase its sow productivity by 6.2 pigs sold per sow per year to 25 pigs per sow per year by 2020.
To sustain the increase in output, the BAI said it is targeting to cut hog mortality rate and help hog raisers bring down the cost of production by P10 per kg to P80 per kg by 2022.
The road map indicated that the bulk of the P2.47 billion the government will set aside for the industry will be spent for upgrading BAI’s laboratories and the training of its personnel.
“Diagnostic laboratories and feed laboratories in the BAI and in the regions must be upgraded. This is to elevate the level of animal disease diagnostics and feed testing, to protect the producers and consumers,” it read.
“Foot and mouth disease, among other epidemic/epizootic diseases, can be controlled easier if diagnosis is early. Laboratories must comply with international standards, so whatever results will be produced here will also be acknowledged in other countries,” the road map added.
The BAI said P611.40 million will be set aside for the government’s intensified nationwide hog disease programs to eradicate hog diseases, such as classical swine fever, pseudo-rabies virus and porcine
epidemic diarrhea.
The government will also spend P300 million for the construction of two “AAA” abattoirs and P150 million to put up six meat laboratories.
“To date, only 123 slaughterhouses were accredited by the National Meat Inspection Service. Only five slaughterhouses have proper facilities and operational procedures for export production,” the road map read.
The BAI noted the government will need the help of the private sector to achieve its targets for the hog industry. Under the road map, the BAI said the private sector will be “encouraged” to invest P5.48 billion.
“The private producers must handle the investment for the modernization of farms; upgrading/modernization of the abattoirs; provision of refrigerated transport; provision of cold storage in the public market; and provision of the refrigerated display cabinet in the public markets,” the road map read.