May 2, 2023
Philippines announces ASF recovery programme
The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced a three-year development blueprint which aims to return local swine stock to pre-African swine fever (ASF) levels, at 12 million heads from the current 9 million heads, The Philippine Inquirer reported.
The updated Agriculture Development Programme for the years 2023-2025 is awaiting approval from Philippines' President Bongbong Marcos, who also serves as DA chief.
She said President Marcos wants the medium-term road map to outline specific activities to boost output in each agricultural sector.
The DA's top priority among the tasks it must complete in three years is compensating swine raisers affected by ASF.
It will also prioritise the expansion of the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (Inspire) programme and the construction of the first cold examination facility.
The Inspire programme, which was launched in February 2021, seeks to accelerate calibrated repopulation and production expansion through farm clustering and consolidation.
The government has set aside approximately PHP 1 billion (~US$18 million; PHP 10 = US$0.18) to build two cold examination facilities in agriculture in major ports across the country this year, with the first one set to open in Subic, Zambales province.
These facilities, which will house examination areas and laboratories, are intended to prevent the entry of smuggled goods as well as transboundary agri-fishery pests and diseases.
- The Philippine Inquirer
