IT WILL take another two to three years before the Philippines’ swine population returns to its pre-African Swine Fever (ASF) levels, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the agriculture department is already seeing signs of recovery in the local hog industry.
“Tatagal ito ng two to three years,” de Mesa said in a radio interview on Saturday, May 17.
The DA official said the controlled vaccination of hogs is ongoing and “naging maganda ang resulta sa mga lugar na nagkaroon ng bakuna.”
The DA is now awaiting the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its clearance for the commercial rollout of the ASF vaccine, possibly later this year, before implementing an aggressive repopulation plan that should bring back domestic production to pre-ASF levels by 2028.
“Naghihintay na lang tayo ng kumpirmasyon mula sa FDA para sa commercial release,” he said.
Since the first outbreak in 2019, the national hog inventory has declined from approximately 13 million heads to less than nine million heads.
The vaccine will significantly enhance the likelihood of success for the repopulation program, according to the DA. (GMA Integrated News)
