By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The number of swine mortalities in Negros Occidental continues to decline, but the price of liveweight hogs is still increasing.

In a radio interview yesterday morning, Ric Lauron, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association-Negros Occidental, said local hog raisers slowly felt the decline in hog mortalities caused by various swine diseases, such as hog cholera and African swine fever.

However, the price of liveweight hogs currently runs at P150 to P160 per kilo, while its market price is at P240 to P260.

Lauron said they are already anticipating a potential shortage in pork supply towards the end of the year.

Earlier, Dr. Placeda Lemana, Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) head, said they are already eyeing a high demand for pork in the coming months, particularly in December during the holiday festivities.

Lemana asked local hog raisers to temporarily halt supplying pork to traders outside the province to prepare for the expected high demand, and to prevent any sudden price increases.

Lauron has supported PVO’s call to temporarily stop pork exports.

He said priority should be given to local hog sellers first to avoid a potential shortage of pork in the province./DGB, WDJ