Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Tuesday said the ban on transport of live hogs and sows to other provinces is meant to prevent skyrocketing of pork prices in Cebu.

The provincial capitol has been alarmed by reports of rising prices of pork in the market after traders from Luzon are tapping hogs from Cebu due to supply shortage due to African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

In a press briefing, Garcia said she issued the executive order restricting transport of live hogs and sows to other places in the country was to protect the PHP11-billion hog industry in Cebu which stands to lose stocks for reproduction.

The hog industry in Cebu province has been affected much with the ongoing shortage of swine and pork supply in Luzon following the outbreak of ASF two years ago, with its first case reported in Rizal province in July 2019.

Garcia said the farm price per kilo of carcass nowadays has reached PHP195 to PHP210.

“I make this very clear that we are prohibiting transport of live hogs because this is a measure by which we can curtail so that we can give a little break to the ongoing rise of prices of pork in Cebu,” she said.

The Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative reported surplus in reserves of pork supply during the pandemic. But such supply in cold storage has dwindled as hog raisers here are trading their stocks to Luzon where there is shortage due to the ASF situation.

Garcia said pork production in Cebu is over 4,000 metric tons. However, the 2,700-metric ton supply requirement per month for the province has already been breached because of a shortage issue in Luzon.

She praised the cooperative for helping the capitol in the fight against ASF by providing disinfectants to the seaports in Cebu.

Garcia said she was reacting to the statement of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya who said the department has monitored that local government units (LGUs) have been issuing executive orders restricting or limiting entry of pigs, hogs, and related items to protect against spread of ASF.

Malaya said “this must not impede the flow of cargoes across LGU boundaries.”

The actions of LGUs must be coordinated with the Department of Agriculture field offices for consistency with the ASF zoning classification system, Malaya said.

Presidential Administrative Order No. 22, series of 2020 directs all government agencies and LGUs to strictly implement and comply with the DA’s ASF National Zoning and Movement Plan which has classified the country into various zones with respective movement controls.

DA’s zoning plan established two ASF zone classifications such as containment zones where concerted activities are implemented to contain ASF and isolate the disease towards full eradication and free zone (dark green) which is the geographical limit that remains free from the ASF virus.

Garcia, however, invoked the general welfare clause, stressing it is her sworn duty to protect the PHP11-billion hog industry in Cebu. (PNA)