Negros Occidental hog raisers are happy that their pigs and pork products being shipped to Metro Manila are now selling at higher prices, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Thursday, March 24.
The Negros hog raisers shifted their sales to Metro Manila after Cebu province banned the entry of their products as a precaution against African Swine Fever (ASF).
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has appealed to Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to lift the ban but has not received a reply.
Lacson pointed out that Negros Occidental remains ASF-free and the ban has prevented hog shipments from passing through Cebu on their way to Leyte and other parts of Eastern Visayas.
This forced Negros hog raisers to find alternative markets in Metro Manila where prices were initially low, Diaz said.
He said prices have since improved in Metro Manila after the national government stopped the importation of pork products from other countries, he said.
It is only sad that Negros cannot serve the needs of Leyte because of the Cebu ban, he added.
The Negros Occidental hog raisers are now reaping the benefits of the biosecurity measures put in place by the provincial government, Diaz said.