DA Sec. Kiko Laurel Welcomes ‘Community Hogstel’ Program

After a brief general perspective presentation, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. yesterday welcomed the grassroots designed “Community Hogstel” Program as one of the strategies to revive the country’s hog industry battered by the African Swine Fever.
Joined by Undersecretary for Poultry and Livestock DV Savellano, I gave Sec. Laurel a general perspective of the “Community Hogstel” Program where backyard hog raisers in the provinces would be organized into cooperatives or corporative entities provided by the DA with a modern and bio secure facility to raise hogs.
The hog raising complex will have complete facilities, from feed mill to breeding and grow-out, slaughterhouse and processing, and will be set up in areas away from population centers but near the agricultural production zones.
After the initial briefing, Sec. Laurel asked for a more detailed presentation which would include financial projections and the indirect benefits for farmers who produce feed materials like Corn, Sorghum and Soybeans.
He said that alongside the national roll-out of the ASF Vaccination Program, strategies like the Community Hogstel, could boost the revival of the hog industry which lost over 3-million hogs over the last five years.
With this development, we will now work on the details of the Community Hogstel Program for a scheduled presentation and review by Sec. Laurel and his technical team.
I am happy with how fast and smooth things are going in our advocacy to address a crisis and contribute to the country’s food sufficiency program.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
(This is a rare photo of an incumbent Agriculture Secretary, a former Agriculture Secretary and Undersecretary discussing ways to address a crisis and plan strategies to boost food production. Photo by Joan Ocbina, BAI.)