Antique: A hog-raisers association in Antique has been awarded PHP5 million under the Swine Artificial Insemination sa Barangay (SWAIB) Project to support sustainable livestock production. Dr. Marco Rafael Ardamil, head of the Public Health Division of the Antique Provincial Veterinary Office (ProVet), announced that the Sibalom Livestock and Poultry Raisers Association (SILPRA) Inc. received the grant through the National Livestock Program.

According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative is implemented by the Agricultural Training Institute-Western Visayas in partnership with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 6. Dr. Ardamil detailed that the SWAIB project aims to assist hog-raisers affected by the African swine fever (ASF) in regaining a sustainable source of income.

Under the program, SILPRA has received a facility in Barangay Ramon Magsaysay, San Remigio, equipped with animal housing, a laboratory, and 10 high-quality boars for artificial insemination (AI). AI is being promoted as a safer alternative to the traditional boar service system, which was believed to have contributed to the ASF outbreak in 2023 due to the movement of boars between pigpens for breeding.

Now reclassified as “pink zones” or buffer zones, the four ASF-affected towns in Antique have had no new cases in 2024, which has led to the implementation of tighter preventive measures. Dr. Ardamil emphasized that AI will also help improve the swine genetic quality in the province, noting that the boars provided to SILPRA could produce litters of up to 10 piglets, each reaching an average of 80 kilograms in just four months.

Hog raisers will soon be able to access the boars’ sperm for AI through SILPRA. While the pricing for a dose has yet to be finalized, Dr. Ardamil assured that it will be reasonably priced to cover only the production costs.