Pork farmgate prices have dropped sharply as domestic hog raisers rush sales ahead of the rainy season to avoid African swine fever (ASF) losses, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported Monday. Higher output from last year’s price surge, not imports, drives the shift—production rose 5.6npercent in Q2 while farmgate prices fell nearly 19 percent year-on-year. Imports are set to drop by 50,000 MT this year. Metro Manila market rates as of September 7: ham P350/kg, liempo P370/kg, frozen kasim P240/kg, frozen liempo P300/kg.
With ASF active in 76 of 82 provinces and threatening livelihoods especially of small-scale farmers, the DA has approved the first commercial ASF vaccine, with a second under review. A P1-billion subsidy proposal targets backyard farms, while the country’s first ASF vaccine lab and swine repopulation program aim to boost self-reliance, cut imports, and add six million hogs by 2028 to end boom-and-bust cycles.
