BACOLOD City – Hog raisers in Negros Occidental got a livelihood boost through projects funded by the provincial government and were inaugurated in the province’s two northern localities.
The first project is the P1.045-million Swine Artificial Insemination Laboratory Center in Barangay Gahit, E.B. Magalona town.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the facility will be used to improve livestock quality and increase the productivity of swine raisers in the third district of the province.
Through this, the province can produce genetically-improved livestock with quality breeding materials, he added.
Dr. Ruffa Mae Gersaniva, district veterinarian, said producing genetically-improved livestock is a response to the challenge faced by the hog industry amid the threat of African swine fever and the high cost of feeds and raw materials.
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), through the Provincial Genetic Improvement Project, aims to provide quality breeding materials through the distribution of quality genetics within the reach of backyard raisers.
With the use of AI, raisers can produce more sows compared to natural mating, prevent the transfer of diseases between swine, and benefit from cost-efficiency in terms of food ratio.
In neighboring Victorias City, Lacson also led the unveiling of the Victorias Integrated Livestock Raisers Association Meat Shop and Processing Center in Barangay III.
The association, headed by president Willy Lee, will manage the project and the members will sell their products at the meat shop to generate more income.
Lacson urged the members to work together to make the project successful.
“I hope the project will grow and you will continue to produce, and sell clean, safe and affordable meat,” he added.
The PVO is closely working with the Alliance of Hog Raisers Associations of Negros, which has 15,000 individual members from various towns and cities in the province.
Negros Occidental, the Philippines’ top backyard swine producer, has a P6-billion hog industry. (With a report from PNA/PN)
