By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is backing the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) move to investigate the skyrocketing prices of pork in some parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Lacson said if the DA feels that there is price manipulation, then they should investigate it and make a report.

“I heard from the latest news that the price of pork is going down already, so maybe with Bacolod opening up, it [will allow] more pork products to come in,” Lacson said.

Pork prices in Bacolod City soared to as high as P420 per kilogram, but reportedly have gone down earlier this week.

It can be recalled that the surge in pork prices in the capital was blamed on supply issues due to the outbreak of hog diseases last year.

Local hog raisers have also admitted that they find it difficult to keep up with the growing demand for local pork consumption.

They were also forced to temporarily suspend exporting hogs to other areas in the country.

Pulupandan declared ASF-free

Meanwhile, the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry announced yesterday that Negros Occidental’s Pulupandan town is among the six local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas that have been declared free of African swine fever (ASF).

Pulupandan was downgraded from the “red” (infected) zone to the “pink” (buffer) zone.

Other ASF-free LGUs in the region include Antique’s San Jose town, Guimaras’ Buenavista and Jordan towns, and Iloilo province’s San Miguel and Sta. Barbara towns./DGB, WDJ