Aklan mulls hog-raising venture
Kalibo, Aklan -- The provincial government of Aklan is mulling to embark on hog-raising to help meet the supply of pork in the province.
Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez raised this possibility during the recent Local Price Coordination Council (LPCC) meeting here in response to concerns raised by some food processors here that there is a low supply of pork in the province.
A leading food processor here is said to be hesitant to avail of financial assistance from the government as it is not assured of a steady supply of raw meat.
According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) here, Aklan currently lacks supply of hogs for slaughter. Buyers are said to be sourcing their supply from Capiz backyards. Based on household interviews, BAS revealed that Aklanons currently raised pigs for fiestas.
The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPVET) here bared that Aklan is not operating big piggeries anymore, due to high prices of feeds.
Presently, the province is focusing on livestock production at Tina, Makato, with on-going pasture and forage production, large and small ruminant production, cattle fattening and production, and goat upgrading programs.
The OPVET said the site in Makato is also ideal for hog production. The provincial government through OPVET is currently implementing a swine dispersal program on a rollover scheme among provincial employees.
To help in this concern, council members urged the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist to request Municipal Agricultural Officers (MAOs) all over the province to encourage swine production in their areas.
Governor Marquez, for his part, said the low supply of pork meat might have been caused by the high demand of processed meat products in the market, noting that some companies have branches that have sprouted in the region and even in Manila.
He advised these food processors to operate a piggery too to have a sure supply of pork for their business needs. (PIA)