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The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Cebu City and Southern Leyte have relaxed their trade restrictions as they have reopened their borders to pigs and pig products that are not infected with African swine fever (ASF) from Mindanao.
The district attorney said Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella issued Executive Order (EO) 72 on April 28, lifting the ban on live pigs, pork and pork by-products in Cebu City.
The district attorney added that South Leyte Governor Damian Mercado issued an EO, allowing ASF-free pigs, pork, pork by-products, to enter and transfer through the port of Liloan, a liaison. vital on the country’s “nautical highway”.
“We commend the Mayor of Cebu City, Edgardo Labella, and the Governor of Leyte del Sur, Damian Mercado, for issuing respective executive orders, lifting the ban on Mindanao pigs, pork and pork by-products, and allow these to be marketed, processed and consumed, benefiting their constituents and processors alike, “Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said in a recent statement.
The prosecutor said that the opening of the port of Liloan is key to sending surplus pork from Mindanao, since it connects Southern Leyte with Visayas and Mindanao, and towards Samar through the San Juanico bridge towards Matnog, Sorsogon, which is the gate southern entrance to Luzon.
The district attorney said he received commitments from pig farmers in Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro that they have surplus pork and frozen pork, called “pig in a box,” which initially totaled 1.7 million. kilograms (kg) or 1,700 metric tons (MT) ready to be shipped to Cebu, Leyte and Luzon.
“The decision to supply pork to Luzon is ours not only in the Davao region but also other pig producers in Mindanao,” said Eduardo So, president of the Association of Pig Farmers of Davao Inc., Eduardo So. “It is our simple way of saying” Support local farmers first “instead of prioritizing imported meat.”
Chester Warren Tan, president and president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., said its members in the city of General Santos are ready to ship ‘pig in a box’ initially in 20 to 30 20-foot refrigerated containers to Luzon. .
Dar has instructed Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture Evelyn Laviña and Zamzamin Ampatuan to coordinate with Mindanao pig farmers to facilitate the shipment of surplus pork to Luzon and Visayas.
Davao has pledged to supply around 500 MT of pork monthly, while GenSan and CDO can ship 3,000 MT monthly to Visayas and Luzon, according to DA.
“We hope that other local CEOs will consider freeing their borders and allowing the unhindered movement of not only ASF-free pigs and pork, but also other agricultural and fishery products to maintain stable food prices and supplies, thus benefiting all actors in the food supply chain. Dar said.
