The management of San Miguel Foods, Inc. (SMFI) will no longer close all of its Monterey-affiliated piggeries in Bukidnon.

Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr. announced this during the distribution of various types of farm machinery held at the Folk Arts Theater, Kaamulan Park, Malaybalay City on February 12, 2021.

Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar was in attendance.

Gov. Zubiri said the management of SMFI informed him on Feb. 11 about the development.

Despite Zubiri’s claim, though, a group of breeder farm operators and hog growers that had contracts with SMFI still met with Sec. Dar to discuss their situation at the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). For them, in the absence of the information regarding SMFI’s latest decision, the notice of contract termination they have received on Feb. 1 is still in effect.

Sec. Dar assured the group they can get help from the government by availing a loan from Php 29.5 billion allocation to enhance the recovery and repopulation of the hog industry program in green zone areas, or areas where there is no case of African Swine Fever (ASF).

The DA said Bukidnon is still ASF free province. In February, San Miguel decided to shut down all of its Monterey-affiliated piggeries in the province due to the ASF that hit Luzon.

Christopher Pangga, regional operations manager of SMFI, disclosed to members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bukidnon earlier this month that the last and final breeding period for their affiliated piggeries will be this March 1.

Pangga clarified that only their piggery operation is affected while their poultry operations in Bukidnon will continue.

Bukidnon Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Nancy V. Diez disclosed that backyard swine farms in Bukidnon have contributed 212,946 heads in the region while 397,653 were traded from commercial farms. Diez cited the figure based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Survey in 2020 for the total inventory of Swine Population in Region 10.

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