WESTERN Visayas is celebrating the holidays amid the threats of African Swine Fever (ASF) and avian flu. These two are dampers to the otherwise merry season. They threaten the supply of pork and chicken.
The government should strengthen the country’s surveillance of ASF and other animal diseases. Improving biosecurity measures is crucial to develop the Philippine livestock, poultry, and dairy industries. One of these is to establish first-border quarantine facilities at various ports for agricultural products to prevent the spread of animal diseases.
According to the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, only about 15 percent of total raw material requirements are supplied domestically due to issues with production cost and consistency of meat quality, among others.
It also made projections on the livestock and poultry industries. One, backyard production of swine will drop despite its low cost, creating a void and opportunity for commercial farms to grab. Many small commercial farms will close while some will be acquired by larger farms to scale up—leading to further market concentration. Another is that “successful” farms will have better biosecurity, which small farms may find difficult to afford.
It also projected that pork imports would increase to meet the domestic demand. Thus, cold chain operations will also improve to accommodate imported frozen meats. Meanwhile, the consumption of chicken over pork will increase due to the low price of chicken and the high price of pork.
How do we improve the competitiveness of the local livestock, poultry, and dairy industries?
The government should solve the problem of ASF and other animal diseases. Swine repopulation is crucial to rebuilding the herd lost due to ASF.
There is also a need to develop the corn industry through the provision of post-harvest facilities and equipment. Small farmers and backyard producers use corn as poultry feed. Feeds take up more than 50 percent of production cost in swine, poultry, and dairy farms.
As for the dairy industry, there is a need to undertake herd buildup through genetic improvement and technical intervention for greater productivity. It is also important to sustain the government’s milk-feeding program to support local farmers.
Improving biosecurity measures is crucial to develop the Philippine livestock, poultry, and dairy industries.
