Citing an assessment conducted by Socospa, Escobillo said the share of the backyard swine sector in the region’s hog production went down to 60 percent last year from the previous 72 to 74 percent.
As a result, he said the commercial sector’s production share increased to 40 percent from the previous 22 to 25 percent.
He said the decline in the number of backyard swine raisers was mainly due to marketing problems and the increasing cost of inputs.
“We need to revive our backyard sector so we can be more competitive and expand our markets further,” he told MindaNews in an interview.
Escobillo said the revitalization of the area’s backyard swine sector is a key component of their continuing preparations for the economic integration starting next year of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-states.
He said they have long been preparing for the ASEAN economic integration, specifically for the possibility of supplying or shipping pork products to key markets in the region.
Escobillo said they are also bracing for the possibility of facing competition with pork meat products coming from other areas in the ASEAN.
“To overcome that, we need to have our backyard sector back on its feet and be more viable and competitive, especially locally,” he said.[]
To address the problems affecting the backyard swine sector, Escobillo said he sought assistance from the DA regional and national offices for the implementation of support programs for the sector.[]
