By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Hog raisers in Negros Occidental had no choice but to sell their products to Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila, amid the entry ban on pork and pork byproducts by the Cebu provincial government.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said hog raisers have diverted some of their shipments to Metro Manila, instead of transporting them to Eastern Visayas.
“They are delivering them to Manila, but the prices are lower than those in Leyte. The thing is, it’s important that we can sell,” Lacson said.
He said that pork being sold in Manila is around P20 less compared to the selling price in Eastern Visayas.
“That’s huge but it’s still better that they can sell,” he said.
Around 1,100 hogs have already sent to Manila since March 7, he added.
Lacson affirmed that the option was pointed out by provincial veterinary officer Dr. Placeda Lemana on Thursday, March 16.
Lemana said commercial hog growers opted to ship their pork products to Mindanao, through Dumaguete and Zamboanga del Norte’s Dipolog City ports.
However, hog raisers are well aware that the shipping costs to far-flung towns and cities in Mindanao are too expensive.
Lacson also denied rumors being circulated online that the reason why Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has not responded to his appeal letter was due to the ongoing proposal to reestablish the Negros Island Region.
“No, definitely not. I don’t think there is any relation to that,” Lacson said.
He has yet to call Garcia on the phone to renew his appeal for letting hog shipments from Negros Occidental, bound for Eastern Visayas, pass through Cebu province.
“I’m just hoping that we can get her response, whether it’s a positive development or not,” Lacson said.
Earlier, Lemana said hog raisers in Negros Occidental are losing P18 million per week due to the ongoing hog ban in Cebu.
Garcia issued an executive order implementing a temporary ban on the entry of live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen, pork, and pork-related products from Negros Island from March 6 to April 5, 2023.
The order came after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in Cebu’s Carcar City, which was placed in a state of calamity on Monday, March 13.
It was reported that pigs allegedly mingled with ASF-positive hogs from Negros Island.
However, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental remain ASF-free.
Lacson and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez issued a joint executive order on March 7, prohibiting the entry of pork products from Cebu province, including the Bantayan and Camotes islands.
Negros Occidental is one of the top backyard hog producers in the country, with an industry pegged at more than P6 billion./With a report from PNA / DGB, WDJ