The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas on Friday announced that it has granted P120-million financial assistance to a group of pork producers.

DA-7 regional director Angel Enriquez said that the funds are intended to repopulate swine breeder stocks in the region, stressing the importance of Central Visayas as the second largest producer of hogs in the country.

Enriquez led the turnover of assistance to Rolando Tambago, the president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines at the DA-7 compound in Mandaue City.

Tambago, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude to DA-7 for the cash grant as he disclosed that 12 farms under the Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative will be benefited.

"This fund has the potential to produce 5,300 pigs per month, which means we can add 63,000 pigs to our inventory every year," Tambago said. "Imagine if this is implemented in every province in every region, this will solve the shortage problem."

The African swine fever was first detected in Carcar City in southern Cebu on 1 March and was again detected in 12 more local government units in Cebu province.

This resulted in neighboring provinces banning the importation of hogs, pork meat and pork by products from Cebu.

The ban forced Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to pursue legal measures against the Bureau of Animal Industry culling and color-coding policy.

The cash grant came from the DA's Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion, a recovery and repopulation program for the hog sector affected by the ASF.

DA's National Livestock Program is spearheading INSPIRE in collaboration with livestock attached agencies, DA regional offices, local government units, and other stakeholders such as farmers' cooperatives and association.