Antique: The Antique Provincial Veterinary (ProVet) Office has noted a decline in live weight prices for swine as local farmers recover from the impact of African swine fever (ASF). Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, chief of the ProVet public health division, said in an interview Thursday that the price of live weight has dropped to PHP170 per kilo despite the high demand for pork this Christmas season.

According to Philippines News Agency, Ardamil mentioned that Antique is now ASF-free, which has allowed more swine raisers to breed. During the Christmas season or early September 2024, live weight costs were around PHP200 per kilo, increasing after the province was initially hit by ASF. The province confirmed its first ASF case in the municipality of Hamtic on June 19, 2023, but recorded its last confirmed case on October 19 of the same year.

The municipality of Hamtic was reclassified into the pink zone (buffer) on October 31, 2024, after being free from swine mortalities due to ASF for more than a year. Ardamil explained that two neighboring towns, San Jose de Buenavista and Sibalom, which were affected by the initial ASF cases from Hamtic, were also reclassified to the pink zone after implementing strict biosecurity measures. San Jose de Buenavista and Sibalom were reclassified into the pink zone in July and August 2024, respectively.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has provided piglets for sentinelling to swine-raisers in the reclassified municipalities to support the breeding process. Ardamil noted that it only takes four months for a piglet to become a sow, resulting in an ample supply of live weight in the province. Additionally, there is pork importation and supply from Mindanao, ensuring Antique±o consumers have access to enough pork at lower prices this Christmas.