Negros hog industry recovering from ASF

BACOLOD CITY , Philippines —  Two years after the devastation caused by African swine fever (ASF) and hog cholera, the hog industry in Negros Occidental is slowly recovering from the effects of the outbreaks.

Placeda Lemana, chief of the provincial veterinary office, on Wednesday said the current local hog population is 250,000 to 300,000. Before the outbreaks hit the industry in 2023, the local hog population was at more than 500,000.

Negros Occidental, whose swine industry is worth P6 billion, recorded almost 18,000 hog deaths in 2023.

Losses were estimated at around P200 million and  resulted in a decline in swine production during the first semester of 2024.

Lemana said no recurrence of ASF and hog cholera cases in the province has been monitored so far, and shipments of hogs to Cebu, Samar and Luzon have increased in the past few months.