SOLID ALLIANCE: STRATEGY FOR OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

SOLID ALLIANCE: STRATEGY FOR OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a transboundary, high-impact animal disease that continues to have a 36% negative impact on the Philippine swine industry (Department of Agriculture, 2021). As the Department of Agriculture (DA) first identified ASF cases in Luzon and Mindanao last 2019, there has not been a vaccine or treatment for the viral illness. Therefore, ASF has proven challenging to completely eradicate and has since had a detrimental effect on the swine industry and local livelihoods.

In order to stop the disease from spreading, the Philippine government has partnered with farmers and producers to strengthen biosecurity and enhance veterinary public health in preparation for upcoming outbreaks.

Through the National Livestock Program (NLP), the Department of Agriculture (DA) introduced the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) Program as repopulation effort that is directed towards production and advancement of improved swine genetics; use of the initiative for training, extension, and knowledge acquisition by farmers, students, and other participating parties; developing local hog inventory and pork supply; supporting native growers by making producers and breeding products available; helping DA and various government organizations' swine-based schemes for livelihood by creating sufficient and high-quality stocks to meet the program’s needs and supplying them with additional sources of food.

Last March 4, 2023, the DA-Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center CALABARZON, under the direction of Training Center Superintendent II Dr. Rolando V. Maningas, initiated the benchmarking at Watch Life Farm, Mariveles, Bataan, one of the INSPIRE beneficiaries of DA-ATI Central Luzon. The activity intends to learn the implementation strategies and acquire best practices from the said Farmer Cooperative and Association (FCA). Additionally, the action was made in order to prepare and guarantee the successful execution of the INSPIRE Program in Region IV-A.

One of the components of the INSPIRE Program is the establishment of 30-sow Level Multiplier and Techno-demo Farm, which aims to supply small and medium-scale pork producers with cost-effective, easily-accessible, and highly productive female stocks that will enable them to produce exceptional finishers and pork. ATI-RTCs and the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ITCPH) were tasked to administer this component.

As initial part of the program's implementation, the DA-ATI CALABARZON, the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) and Silang Livestock Agricultural Cooperative (SLAC), a potential beneficiary of the project, carried out a site validation last March 14, 2023. Subsequently, the signing of Memorandum of Agreement which was presided by Dr. Maningas on March 30, 2023, took place at the Municipal Nursery in Brgy. Iba, Silang, Cavite.

 On April 27, 2023, after having complied all the requirements of the INSPIRE Program, the groundbreaking of the 30-sow Level Multiplier and Techno-demo Farm was successfully rolled out at Silang Livestock Agricultural Cooperative (SLAC). Present during the activity were Dr. Rolando V. Maningas, Center Director of DA-ATI CALABARZON; Hon. Alston Kevin Anarna, Municipal Mayor of Silang, Cavite; Dr. Ruth Miclat-Sonaco, National Director, National Livestock Program; Dr. May M. Magno, Provincial Veterinarian-Cavite; and Ms. Adelia Poblete, Municipal Agriculturist-Silang, Cavite.

In his concluding address, Dr. Maningas commended the cooperative as recipient of the said program and expressed his gladness over the fact that this is the first 30-sow Level Multiplier and Techno-demo Farm established by DA-ATI CALABARZON in the region. As targeted, 60% of the P10 million grant would be processed and awarded to the cooperative to start building the facility which is set to be completed by October of this year while the remaining 40% would be used in purchasing starter supplies. The Center Director is hopeful that everything would go as planned and that the facility will be fully operational before the end of the year.

Through the collaboration of the National Government Agencies, Local Government Unit, and Private Sector, Dr. Maningas is confident that CALABARZON will continue to recover and win its battle against ASF.