Dar assures enough pork supply despite ASF

December 17, 2020

Agriculture Secretary Willian Dar expressed confidence that there will be enough supply of pork in Metro Manila this month despite the effect of the African Swine Flu (ASF) in the country.

"On September, if were going to total all the pork that have arrived because we arrange the shipping line and also the transport, it is within the level of 23,649 arrival. Then it climbed on October to 43,558," Dar said in a yearend virtual briefing on Thursday.

"So those from Visayas and Mindanao really respond because Visayas is not yet affected by ASF and some portion of Mindanao. In November, the arrival reached to 59,831 so the supply of pork meat here in Metro Manila really increased and hoping that this December were able to reach between 60 to 70 ,000 heads of hogs that will arrive and slaughtered for the market in Metro Manila," he said.

"So we are confident that the supply is okay although the supply is really thin," he added.

Dar said losses due to ASF this year reached to one billion pesos a month.

"Based on the first data that we had shows that for every month it reached to one billion. It is really a big shock to our swine industry," he said.

Dar added that because of the recent typhoons that hit different parts of the country the supply of vegetables in Metro Manila is thin. Robina Asido/DMS