DA says it's set to pay in full all ASF indemnification

The Department of Agriculture said Saturday that it is set to pay in full all farmers whose hogs were culled due to the African Swine Fever (ASF).

In a statement, the DA said that since the ASF outbreak in 2019, its Regional Field Offices (RFOs) and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), in partnership with local government units (LGUs), have been paying P5,000 for every culled pig of backyard raisers in ASF-infected areas.

In total, the Agriculture department said it has received a total of P2.158-billion request to indemnify affected backyard hog raisers, of which P1.697 billion has already been paid to 48,530 farmer-beneficiaries, who owned 379,420 culled hogs.

Agriculture secretary William Dar said the remaining amount of P461 million is set to be released to indemnify the remaining backyard raisers, who owned roughly 92,200 culled hogs.

"We thank President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for recently approving our request for the additional P461 million that completes our ASF indemnification payments, amounting to P2.158 billion," Dar said.

In addition to the indemnification, the DA said it has provided ASF-affected farmers financial and technical assistance through the agency's twin program —called "Bantay ASF sa Barangay" and Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives (INSPIRE).

Both initiatives are implemented by the DA’s National Livestock Program (NLP), in partnership with the LGUs, swine raisers' groups, the private sector, and professional veterinary associations.

"We will continue to provide farmers with needed technical and financial assistance, so they can start anew, as we strongly pursue efforts to contain, manage and control the ASF, and subsequently revive the country's swine industry," Dar said.

He added that the Duterte administration is allotting a total of P42.8 B for lending to backyard and commercial hog raisers in ASF-free areas through the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Under its hog repopulation program, the DA said it has now distributed 8,169 sentinel pigs to 3,061 farmer-beneficiaries in 312 ASF-free barangays.

It has also established 10 clustered swine production farms, worth P50 million, in six regions; and 16 swine breeder multiplier farms, worth P125 million, in partnership with hog farmers' cooperatives and associations (FCAs), LGUs, and state universities and colleges (SUCs), said DA-NLP director Ruth Miclat.

The DA is also encouraging backyard and commercial hog raisers to have their animal stocks insured with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to avail of insurance coverage of up to P10,000 for fatteners and P14,500 for breeders, respectively.

"We, therefore, renew our call to all backyard and commercial raisers across the country to fine-tune their respective production and biosecurity protocols, adhering to the new normal, and altogether prevent ASF infection and resurgence," Dar said. —LBG, GMA News