INSPIRE: To Restore A Vibrant Situation Of The Local Pork-Food Industry In The Philippines

How do you manage a whole industry while controlling a problem like the deadly Asian Swine Fever (ASF)? A necessary part of controlling the ASF is, first of all, helping the small swine growers in raising pigs in healthy ways, and merchants in dealing fairly with them and the consuming public.

Thus, I appreciate the virtual signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Agriculture (DA), headed by Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, and North Star Meat Merchants Inc (NSMMI), headed by NSMMI President Anthony Ng (above image). This occurred Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022, according to ANN (Author Not Named, “DA, North Star Partner For Contract Growing Arrangement Of INSPIRE Beneficiaries,” DA.gov.ph). INSPIRE is the DA’s “                       program.

Under the MoU, the DA, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), will be very busy assisting beneficiaries of INSPIRE. This is a direct leadership challenge to Director of AMAS Ramon Yedra. AMAS will monitor small hog raisers as they carry out their responsibilities according to the CGA, link raisers to feed companies, facilitate training on hog raising and meat handling, and help growers in seeking financial assistances. ANN says, among others, this is to “intensify DA’s initiative in restoring (the) vibrant situation of (the) local hog industry” with the DA’s INSPIRE and “Bantay African Swine Fever sa Barangay” (BABay ASF) programs. “This is in support of (the) DA’s (twin) goal of reviving the local (hog-growing business) and providing affordable, local fresh-chilled, and frozen pork for the consuming public.” Goodbye ASF?

In the pork industry, you have to mind the swine raising as well as the trading. To sustain the industry, the DA must support production, systematize protection, and shore up the marketing of the products.

Mr Dar said during the occasion:

I would like to believe that in every step of the way we need to look at opportunities for us to be able to link various stakeholders, (especially) our local producers, (with) our main objective towards enhancing capacity and looking forward always that the local hog industry progresses.

Ultimately, this is all on the part of the DA to help ensure national food security. When there is a supply gap, we expect the DA to work to augment the local inventory, to bring in supplies from other countries, “so that affordable (products) are made accessible to help (the) consuming public in general.” Good work, DA!

This year, we hope to have more (financial) resources to enhance our repopulation program for the hog industry, and also to encourage (the) private sector to come forward and invest.

Mr Dar also encouraged the private sector to help government develop a vaccine for ASF. This swine disease has been wreaking havoc on the Philippine swine industry that drastic measures had to be undertaken by the DA, including decimating whole local swine populations.

Pig raisers, meat merchants, and the DA must help each other for their own good – as well as that of the consuming public.@517

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