PRODUCTION

The total hog production in IIocos Region decreased to 53,062.33 metric tons liveweight in 2022. This was 7.97 percent lower than the 2021 level. First Semester 2022 production recorded a decrease of 20.08 percent while production in 2nd semester 2022 increased by 5.21 percent.

Ilocos Region contributed 3.05 percent to the national production of 1,737.12 thousand metric tons liveweight, ranking 11th among the hog producing regions in the country (Figure 1).

INVENTORY

The total headcount of swine in Ilocos Region as of January 1, 2022 was 259,712 heads. It declined by 29.08 percent from the inventory as of January 1, 2021 of 366,229 of heads (Figure 2). Likewise, swine inventory as of April 1, 2022 and July 1, 2022 registered decreases of 23.33 percent and 13.16 percent, respectively, over last year’s levels of same reference date. However, an upward trend of headcount in 2022 was noted from April 1 of 255,435 heads to 294, 151 heads as of July 1, reaching 342,051 heads as of October 1.

By province, decreases in swine population as of January 1, 2022 was noted in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan by 36.56 percent, 40.36 percent and 22.02 percent, respectively, compared to same reference last year (Table 2). Only La Union posted an increase in inventory as of January 1, 2022 by 4.22 percent. However, an increase of 65.26 percent in the number of hog headcounts in Pangasinan was noted as of October 1, 2022.

PRICES

The average annual farm price of hog for slaughter in backyard farms in 2022 was PhP 204.58 per kilo liveweight. This was higher by 15.62 percent than the price of Php 176.94 per kilo liveweight. The monthly average farm prices in 2022 were generally higher than the 2021 price, except the average price of PhP 187.86 per kilo in April 2022 that dropped by 1.11 percent compared to same month in 2021 (Figure 3). The highest price recorded during the period was Php 232.21 per kilo in October 2022.

(SGD) ATTY. SHEILA O. DE GUZMAN, CPA 
Regional Director, RSSO I