Gov’t may subsidize ASF vaccine | Inquirer Business

Gov’t may subsidize ASF vaccine

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to subsidize hog raisers’ purchase of vaccines against African swine fever (ASF), which industry stakeholders consider as a welcome development.

In an interview on Monday, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez said the DA and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) have started talks on potential financial assistance for hog raisers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Options include realigning the budget from other agencies under the DA and turning to Congress for additional budget.

“Now, on the government subsidy, we have already discussed this with the Bureau of Animal Industry and we may need to seek the help of our legislators for an additional budget,” Estoperez, also the DA’s deputy spokesperson, told reporters.

FEATURED STORIES

The DA has yet to determine the amount of cash aid for swine producers pending the final pricing of the ASF vaccine.

“We are looking at the budget of other agencies, especially the BAI, to determine whether we need to supplement, realign or request for an additional budget,” he said.

As suggested by some legislators and groups of hog raisers, the DA has also recommended tapping the calamity fund or quick response fund for agricultural producers.

“If we need to declare a state of calamity, we must be able to justify it to our President [Marcos] and [agriculture] secretary. We also need to be transparent to him,” he added.

Estoperez, however, said the BAI had not yet recommended such option of declaring a state of calamity.

“Providing ASF vaccine subsidy by the DA is a welcome news if it is really true but habang wala pa yan (subsidy) hindi po tayo naniniwala (while it is not available, we don’t believe it)!” said Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. president Rolando Tambago.

National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. president Chester Warren Tan said, “Whether it will be affordable or not, [it is] better with subsidies, maybe from the quick response fund or calamity fund.” INQ

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next
Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

TAGS: Business
For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Curated business news

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.



© Copyright 1997-2023 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please click this link.