President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast-track the rollout of African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccines to curb the further spread of the animal disease.
The President told DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel that ASF remains a challenge in the government’s efforts to ease food inflation.
At a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Laurel announced the DA will complete the procurement of 600,000 doses of ASF vaccines by December.
“The first 10,000 doses will be finished… by the end of the month. The schedule for the award for the next 450,000 doses this October 10 of which we will take delivery of 150,000 doses by then,” Laurel said.
“We hope to complete the procurement of 600,000 doses by [the] end of December this year,” he added.
The DA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced that 150,000 doses of the ASF vaccine from a Vietnam-based company have already been rolled out in September. The distribution prioritized eligible commercial farms, semi-commercial enterprises, and clustered backyard farms.
Laurel emphasized the importance of a swift vaccine rollout to restore hog growers’ confidence in swine farming.
“Pag may confidence na ang mga magbababoy sa vaccine na ‘to, then they will start investing again in farms pati ‘yung mga commercials natin magre-repopulate,” he said.
Laurel said the DA is targeting an increase in hog production from the current 7.5 million to 14 million. PND
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