The Bacolod City government has started to release financial assistance to hog raisers affected by African swine fever (ASF), which has almost wiped out the backyard swine population in Bacolod.

City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said yesterday, based on records, some 842 hog raisers reported swine deaths to the city government.

So far, some seven backyard raisers from Barangay Taculing have already received financial assistance totaling P102,000.

“That’s the initial batch. Others are still processing their documents,” Maghari said.

The aid includes P7,000 per head for breeder hogs, P5,000 per head for fattening pigs, and P3,000 per head for piglets.

Last June, the city government set aside P10 million as cash indemnification for ASF-affected backyard raisers.

Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairperson of the city council’s committee on agriculture and fisheries and a hog raiser himself, said he could not yet say that Bacolod has recovered from the effects of ASF.

“The best solution is the vaccine, but until now, it is not yet available. It’s very risky to invest in hog production again because the stocks could still die due to the virus,” he added.

Sayson said that for now, Negros Occidental, including this capital city, sources hogs from the neighboring Negros Oriental.

“My personal outlook is, that the price of pork will be higher in December because we don’t have enough stocks. Nothing is left when you go around the city. Except for those in isolated areas, where there were hogs that survived,” he said. (PNA)