Negros Occidental Studies Hog Price Floor to Protect Small Raisers

 

The Negros Occidental provincial government is weighing a price intervention for hogs and pork as backyard raisers confront falling farmgate prices and continuing losses linked to African swine fever (ASF).

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government is studying the possibility of establishing a minimum buying price for live hogs, alongside regulated retail prices for pork. The proposed measure is intended to prevent further financial strain on small-scale producers already grappling with elevated production expenses.

The Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros Occidental has formally backed the proposal. Its leader, Ric Lauron, said the group submitted a position paper to Lacson through the provincial veterinary office, urging authorities to act on what raisers describe as an increasingly unsustainable pricing situation.

Liveweight prices have fallen to roughly P110 to P120 per kilogram in most parts of the province. In a limited number of areas, buyers are offering as much as P130 per kilogram. Raisers maintain that even the higher rate does not adequately compensate producers for the rising cost of feeds and other inputs.

The association is seeking a government-mandated minimum liveweight price ranging from P160 to P180 per kilogram. For small backyard operators, the gap between prevailing market prices and production costs has become a critical concern. A price floor, in effect, would serve as a financial buffer, preventing market prices from dropping below a level that producers consider economically viable.

ASF has further complicated the situation by disrupting hog production across several communities. Provincial veterinary office records show that 2,338 hogs have died from the disease across 17 localities.

Those losses account for 2.57 percent of the combined hog population in the affected areas, which stands at 90,981 animals.

Hog raisers argue that the impact extends beyond animal deaths. Disease outbreaks can disrupt supply chains, weaken producer confidence and place additional pressure on prices. Without measures to stabilize the market, the group warns that smaller operators could be pushed out of the industry altogether.

For the provincial government, the proposed pricing mechanism represents an effort to address both sides of the problem: protecting producers from severely depressed farmgate prices while maintaining a stable pork supply for consumers.

The outcome of the ongoing study could determine whether Negros Occidental moves toward direct price regulation as the local hog industry continues to recover from the economic consequences of ASF.