African swine disease in the Philippines has drastically decreased in numbers, according to Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
Dar went on to say that the hog sickness has now been contained to three areas.
He testified before a Senate budget committee that the highly contagious sickness could persist “if we don’t follow health and quarantine rules.”
Since the outbreak in 2019, he claimed, the African swine disease has destroyed the hog business in the Southeast Asian country, spreading to 12 regions at its peak last year.
According to the administration, the disease has reduced the country’s swine population by roughly three million, costing the economy more than 100 billion pesos ($2 billion).
The situation has also led to increases in the retail price of pork products, forcing the government to increase pork imports.
In May, Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire country under a calamity state for one year to address the impact of the contagious hog disease.