There is no shortage of chickens in Negros Occidental, OIC Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana said Wednesday, July 6.
National Meat Inspection Service records show that Negros Occidental’s accredited dressing plants produce 1.6 million chickens a month, or 54,000 a day, she said.
That does not include those produced by backyard raisers and non-accredited dressing plants that would raise the daily production in the province to 70,000 to 75,000 chickens, Lemana said.
About 60,000 to 70,000 chickens are consumed in Negros Occidental a day, so the province has more than enough supply, she said.
The hike in the price of chickens is caused by the increase in the cost of their production, such as feeds, she said.
Negros Occidental also has sufficient supply of pork and goat meat, but is slightly deficient in beef and eggs, Lemana added.
Negros Occidental is continuing to strengthen its border inspections to prevent the entry of the African Swine Fever (ASF), she said.
The province needs to protect its P6 billion swine industry, she stressed.
Negros Occidental is one of three provinces in the country that remain ASF free, she said.*