NV hog raisers receive piglets and feeds

NV hog raisers receive piglets and feeds

Each of the 100 registered hog raisers from the different municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya who are adversely affected by the protracted African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak received 3 hybrid piglets and 6 sacks of 50kg swine commercial feeds on June 23, 2023, at the Agricultural Research and Training Center (ARTC) of the Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya (PGNV) in Brgy. Magsaysay, Bayombong.

Governor Jose V. Gambito who led the simple distribution ceremony expressed his gratitude to the DA for its continuing assistance to the province and appreciated the province’s hog raisers as well for their resilience amid the ongoing adversity.

He went on to declare that Agriculture Industry Development is one of the priority programs of his administration. “I will push for sizable budget allocations to finance the immediate implementation of programs, projects, and activities for the Sector, including the construction and improvement of farm-to-market roads and bridges”, he said. “The PGNV will continue collaborating with concerned national government agencies, like the Department of Agriculture (DA), which are providing the assistance needed by the agriculture and other sectors of our province”, he added.

Mayor Antonio Sergio G. Bagasao of the host municipality also came to thank the DA representatives and to lend moral support to his participating constituents.

Mr. Arsenio M. Apostol, Jr., Nueva Vizcaya Experimental Station (NVES) Manager, and Mr. Hero B Maximo, Agriculturist II and Livestock Program Focal Person of Region 02, who headed the DA Distribution Team explained that the activity is one of the components of their agency’s Calibrated Swine Repopulation Program which aims to cushion the impact of the ASF global phenomenon in the country.

They cautioned the beneficiaries, however, that the assistance they have just received is merely palliative since the ASF Vaccine is not yet available in the Philippines. “Although the DA is always open and willing to help our distraught producers, they should also exercise due diligence in observing the prescribed biosecurity measures in caring for their swine”, they said.

NVES Manager Apostol also propounded the idea of establishing “cooperatives that will manage and operate resilient and smart piggeries”.

Based on a report of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), the ASF, a viral disease that was first reported in July 2019, has thereafter wreaked havoc in the Philippines due to its rapid transmission and 100% mortality rate, with thousands of pigs dying, including those culled in prevention efforts.

The ASF has its greatest adverse impact on backyard hog raisers, composed of poor and middle-income households. The public has also been affected by dwindling pork supplies and soaring prices.

PHOTOS here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Beloved.Nueva.Vizcaya/permalink/6476427379070818/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/viva.nueva.vizcaya/permalink/6334735909929384/