CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga(PIA) – The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) has released P5.5 million  financial assistance to the Malalao Farmers Organization under the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program.

City Veternarian Carmen Wanas said the INSPIRE program aims to help the country’s swine industry recover losses from the African Swine Fever (ASF) and the COVID 19 pandemic.  

The P5.5 M cash support comes as a start-up capital to 30 farmers engaged in hog production. The amount is used for the construction of a bio-secured swine production facility, and provision of 300 piglets, feeds and equipment.

Construction of the facility on a 2,000 sq-meter lot owned by the organization has started last September 15 and is expected to be completed within 120 days.

 Prevention and control measures shall be strictly observed inside the facility based on experiences from the ASF that hit hardly the city’s swine industry, Wanas noted.

 Swine production is a major industry among farmers that the city government closely supports. (JDP/LL-PIA CAR, Kalinga)