Department of Agriculture and Mindanao Development Authority have pledged stronger cooperation with hog producers as the government intensifies efforts to revive the country’s swine industry following massive losses caused by African swine fever (ASF).
The renewed push was highlighted during the 32nd National Hog Convention and Trade Exhibit, where government officials and industry stakeholders underscored the need for closer coordination to restore hog production and stabilize pork supply nationwide.
Leo Tereso Magno, secretary of MinDA, acknowledged the continuing challenges faced by hog raisers, including disease threats, rising production costs, and market uncertainty.
“We in government have one job — dapat tulungan namin kayo,” Magno said, emphasizing that support for local hog producers remains a government priority.
He stressed the importance of sustained dialogue between the government and private sector to ensure that interventions directly address the needs of the swine industry.
“Let this event today be the beginning, not the end,” he added.
MinDA said it would continue supporting private sector initiatives through innovation, stronger collaboration, and improved value chain linkages aimed at making Mindanao’s livestock industry more competitive while strengthening national food security.
During the convention’s opening ceremony, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia, representing Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., said the DA is expanding support programs for the hog sector.
Garcia said the department is focusing on breeder stock access, veterinary services, financing support, and modern technology to help producers recover from ASF and improve industry competitiveness.
“DA is committed to restoring the country’s swine population to its pre-ASF level of 13 million heads through a nationwide repopulation program involving 32,000 gilts, with a target of adding six million hogs by 2028,” Garcia said.
The Marcos administration has identified food security as a key part of its agriculture agenda, with the recovery and modernization of the hog industry seen as crucial to stabilizing pork supply and reducing dependence on imports.
The three-day National Hog Convention and Trade Exhibit gathered hog raisers, industry leaders, government officials, and exhibitors to discuss recovery strategies and long-term solutions for the country’s swine sector.