Local food producers see the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) lofty goal of increasing livestock production five-fold in five years as an opportunity for growth and prosperity.

In an interview on Wednesday, Danilo Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI), said while the agency’s objective is quite optimistic, it is nonetheless technically feasible if livestock raisers get enough support from the government.

“It is always better to set a high goal. Even if you fall short by a little bit, you will still be much better off than you are today,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Fausto said prospects for increasing the production of pork and chicken are improving as an end is in sight for livestock diseases that recently ravaged farms in key production provinces.

He noted that a viable vaccine for the African swine fever (ASF) virus is already in the final stages of testing, and can possibly be certified for use by the Food and Drug Administration before year end.

“The vaccine will primarily benefit backyard piggeries, which used to supply about 60 percent of the market. Corporate piggeries are less susceptible to ASF and other diseases because of their efficient bio security protocols,” he said.

Fausto added that domestic poultry growers have always been capable of producing enough chicken and eggs to meet the Philippine population’s food demand.

He, however, lamented that local broiler raisers have been constrained to scale back their production because they are losing market share to both legitimate and illicit chicken importers who are able to bring in huge volumes of chicken parts at lower prices.

He said to make the DA’s high production objectives possible, the government must first rationalize its chicken importation policies, which will require importing less and curbing smuggling.

Fausto said the DA is now in a better position to support local food producers after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed former lawmaker Deogracias Victor Savellano as Agriculture undersecretary.

“He (Savellano) is one of the pillars of PCAFI. He understands our (food producers) needs and what it takes to attain food security,” Fausto said. (PNA)