A congressional leader on Thursday backed the appeal of various hog producers for the government to increase the indemnification cost for every pig that contracted the African swine fever.
Rep. Mark Enverga of Quezon, chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on agriculture and food, said the local swine industry was in dire need of help after the deadly disease entered the country in 2019. The ASF resulted in the shutting down of many hog farms, as well as those so-called backyard raisers who decided to temporarily stop their business.
Enverga also asked the Department of Agriculture to come out with a ‘win-win solution’ that would first address the problem that harmed swine raisers and assure the steady supply of pork in the market by assisting local producers in reviving their operation.
He lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision, through the DA, to compensate the hog farmers for every pig that they had lost due to ASF. The DA is paying P5,000 per head of swine that died and those needed to be culled to stop the spread of the virus.
But he was quick to say that the amount was not enough even to recover the losses incurred by the hog producers, saying the government should also put into consideration the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enverga lamented that after experiencing a great loss to ASF, many hog producers were adamant to reinvest for fear of failing to recover not only their new capital but also their previous losses as well.
It was for these reasons that Enverga echoed the earlier statement made by Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines President Edwin Chen calling for the DA that from P5,000 per head, the agency should pay pork farmers P10,000 for each pig infected by ASF.
“Yes, we support the call for an increase from P5,000 to P10,000 indemnification pay out,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Enverga’s committee conducted a joint hearing with the House Committee on Trade and Industry in response to several house resolutions asking for an inquiry regarding the unexpected increase in the retail price of pork, particularly in Metro Manila, and the status of the hog sector.
Stall owners and other retailers were one in saying the shortage in the supply of fresh pork was the primary reason for the sudden spike of the market price of the highly demanded product.