March 9, 2010

Dry weather places Philippine province poultry sector at risk

 

The dry spell is putting Negros Occidental's PHP6.3-billion poultry industry at risk, as animal deaths continue to rise in the province.

"The dry spell places at high risk the four million native chickens and fighting cocks and the 1.5 million broilers produced every month in Negros Occidental," said Agriculture Regional Director Larry Nacionales.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is assisting the province in containing animal deaths by distributing vaccines and drugs, Nacionales said.

As of last week, PHP3.04 million in hog, livestock and poultry losses in 21 towns and cities in the province were recorded. He said the dead animals belonged to backyard raisers.

He noted that the province's poultry sector plays a pivotal role in Western Visayas' agriculture sector as it now leads the region's over-all poultry inventory with more than 6.5 million heads as of the fourth quarter of 2009.

The figure includes over 1.2 million heads of broiler; 500,000 heads of layer; and 4.7 million heads of native chicken.

Negros Occidental's broiler industry, which produces 1.5 million birds a month, is worth PHP1.8 billion and the layer industry, PHP500 million.