As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet released the commercial clearance for the rollout of African Swine Fever shots, the hog industry may have to wait up to three years to recover and regain pre-pandemic revenues.

“This (crisis) will last for two to three years,” said DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa in a radio interview on Saturday.

He said that the approval of the commercial clearance for the ASF shots “is expected later this year before implementing an aggressive repopulation plan that should bring back domestic production to pre-ASF levels by 2028.”

Hog raisers, particularly in the neighboring regions of Metro Manila, namely Batangas and Bulacan, have been reeling from the ill effects of ASF, which have cost them billions in revenue losses.

Despite this, the DA spokesperson maintained that the controlled vaccination of hogs in the regions has produced good results.

On Friday, newly appointed FDA administrator Paolo Teston vowed to follow his clear and urgent mandate, which is to raise the standard of service at the FDA, not through promises or plans alone, but through action, stating that he is serious about his goal.

It is not only hog raisers who suffer the brunt of the continuous infestation of ASF, but also consumers, as the price of pork continues to soar, even becoming pricier than beef.

The price of pork in wet markets is soaring to more than P420 per kilo, far from the P380 maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) imposed by the DA, prompting the agency to stop the implementation of the MSRP on Wednesday.

In doing so, DA Undersecretary Constante Palabrica said, “Basically, like what I said earlier, it’s the law of supply and demand. Because of the loss of hogs due to the ASF and there is so much demand because of the present election, it’s difficult to implement,” noting that the DA would look into mechanisms to recalibrate the approach in resolving the skyrocketing prices of pork in the market.