KORONADAL CITY – The city government urged residents here on Thursday to support or patronize pork products from local sources in the wake of the continuing threats posed by the dreaded African swine fever (ASF).
Dr. Charlemagne Calo, head of the City Veterinary Office, said the move will help reduce demand for products from other localities, especially those that have reported outbreaks of the disease.
He assured that pork products from commercial and backyard farms in the city and other parts of South Cotabato remain free from the disease and safe for consumers.
“Let’s support our own products to maintain our zero case status for ASF,” he said in a statement.
Calo said they continually monitor attempts by some traders to sneak in pork belly and processed products like chorizo and longganisa from areas outside Region 12 (Soccsksargen).
He said these illegal pork shipments will eventually stop if local consumers would not patronize them.
The official acknowledged that despite the tight border monitoring in General Santos City and the province, some prohibited products managed to enter the area.
“Some of them are mixed with other products that freely move into our localities,” he said.
Pork products from Davao region and other areas in the country that have active ASF outbreaks are still banned from entering Soccsksargen.
For South Cotabato and General Santos City, those from North Cotabato and parts of Sarangani are also prohibited from entering the area due to previous disease outbreaks.
The two areas, which are classified under the “green zone” or ASF-free, are currently among the top producers of live hogs and pork in the country, and ships out at least 15,000 heads every two weeks to Metro Manila and Luzon.
The South Cotabato Swine Producers Association, an association of commercial swine farms based in the area, has a combined sow population of 55,000 and produces over 45,000 heads of hogs a month
Source: Philippines News Agency
