Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said Tuesday that he wants to solve the African swine fever (ASF) problem this year to help the pig sector recover.
DA calls for emergency procurement of 10,000 ASF vaccines amid outbreak in Batangas | (August 9, 2024)
“We hope that we can gradually solve the ASF problem and that it will almost disappear by the end of the year,” he said during the forum after the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The DA earlier said a budget of PHP350 million had been allocated for the procurement and rollout of the ASF vaccine, with the public tender process expected to take place in August.
“There is only one actual accredited vaccine. So malamang iyon doon mapunta (Maybe it will be approved),” Laurel said in a separate ambush interview, referring to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of ASF vaccines from Vietnam.
