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CSPPS Policy Brief College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf)
2023
Outlook for the Organic Swine Industry in the Philippines Outlook for the Organic Swine Industry in the Philippines
Blanquita R. Pantoja
College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños Agnes R. Chupungo
College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños Miriam R. Nguyen
College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños Jaine C. Reyes
College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños Macrina G. Umali
College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños
See next page for additional authors
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Part of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Animal Studies Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, and the Public Policy Commons
Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
Pantoja, Blanquita R.; Chupungo, Agnes R.; Nguyen, Miriam R.; Reyes, Jaine C.; Umali, Macrina G.; Olviga, Therese R.; Lavarnez, Princess Diane M.; and Cosep, Johnnelda P., "Outlook for the Organic Swine Industry in the Philippines" (2023). CSPPS Policy Brief. 8.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/cspps_policy_brief/8
Authors Authors
Blanquita R. Pantoja, Agnes R. Chupungo, Miriam R. Nguyen, Jaine C. Reyes, Macrina G. Umali, Therese R.
Olviga, Princess Diane M. Lavarnez, and Johnnelda P. Cosep
This book is available at University Knowledge Digital Repository: https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/cspps_policy_brief/8
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Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies ISSN 2704 - 2928
Outlook for the Organic Swine Industry in the Philippines
Written by Blanquita R. Pantoja, M.Sc.; Agnes R. Chupungco, MSc.; Miriam R. Nguyen, Ph.D., Jaine C. Reyes, Ph.D.; Macrina G. Umali, M.M.; Therese R. Olviga,
Princess Diane M. Lavarnez, and Johnnelda P. Cosep
*College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños
CPAf 25th Anniversary Special Release | Issue No. 1 | 2023 | Agricultural Policy and Sustainability
CENTER FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND POLICY STUDIES
SPECIAL RELEASE POLICY BRIEF
The demand for organic swine and its products has been escalating as Filipinos get more health- conscious; however, production does not commensurate with this demand. The government is not remiss in promoting organic agriculture, but the adoption of organic agriculture remains to be low. To keep up with the growing demand for organic swine, it is imperative to investigate the issues and constraints that affect adoption of organic agriculture and identify facilitating factors that can help promote the practice.
This policy brief highlights the findings of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) – funded project titled Policy Support to the Organic Chicken and Organic Swine Industry in Selected Areas, Philippines, focusing on production, marketing, and consumption of organic swine in Quezon, Benguet, and Marinduque. This policy brief likewise aims to guide the formulation of policies and other promotional activities to improve the organic swine industry.
42.3
18.3 14.1
14.1 7
4.2
No idea on what OA entails Limited knowledge on OA Preference on
conventional practice
Labor intensive Slow growth of swine
Others (lack of space, no available organic feeds Figure 1. Reasons for non-adoption of organic
practices (in percent)
FACTORS AFFECTING ADOPTION AND NON-ADOPTION OF ORGANIC PRACTICES OF SWINE FARMERS
About 57% of all respondents are aware of organic swine production. Their most common sources of information are training courses and seminars, friends, and relatives. In general, respondents are not reliant on reading materials.
When asked about their perception on organic swine production, majority mentioned that in organic swine production, there is no chemical inputs involved in their production and only organic feeds were fed.
Health benefits topped the reasons for adoption of organic farming of Organic practitioners.
Almost half of Organic practitioners were discovered to be unaware that they are already adhering organic practices in their production.
For Organic practitioners, provision of training courses about organic swine production is a must to boost their engagement in this kind of farming system. Assured market is also important for them.
For those who are non-adopters of the system, their main reason was their lack of knowledge on what the farming system entails (Figure 1). Aside from this, they also mentioned the
laborious nature of organic farming and the slow growth of swine raised through organic practices. These were the same reasons that the Organic practitioners listed when they were asked what factors they think are hindering Conventional practitioners from adopting organic swine production.
Surveys, key informant interviews and roundtable discussions were conducted by the project. The study on production had a total of 180 respondents consisting of organic, in-transition, and conventional farming practitioners. The study on marketing had a total of 60 respondents made up of grower-sellers, wholesalers, and assemblers. On the other hand, the study on consumption had a total of 270 respondents which were categorized based on how frequent they eat organic pork: those who consume very frequently (VFC), frequently consume (FC), and never or seldom consume (NSC).
Organic practitioners are those who raise swine using the standards set by the Philippine National Standards (PNS) even if they are not certified yet. In Transition are those practicing mixed feeding by adhering to both organic practices and conventional ways of raising swine. Conventional refers to those who use synthetic feeds, medicines, and other inputs.
Grower-sellers are backyard swine raisers who sell their own produce. Wholesalers and assemblers, on the other hand, are those respondents who are engaged in the marketing of pigs on a much larger scale.
VFC refer to those who consume organic or meat of native swine once a week (weekly) to seven times a week (daily);
FC refers to those who eat once a month (monthly) to three times a month; and NSC refers to those who seldom or never ate meat of native or organic swine.
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Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies Table 1. Average cost and returns (In PhP) of swine production, by respondent
Organic (n=13) In Transition (n=93) Conventional (n=71)
Total Returns 40,528.75 77,601.67 101,214.37
Total Cost 38,777.06 62,416.98 77,583.86
Material Costs* 36,931.81 57,541.57 71,245.31
Labor Costs** 1,845.25 4,875.41 6,338.55
*Material costs include swine stock, feeds, electricity, etc.
**Labor costs include feeding, pest management, watering, harvesting, post-harvest handling, and other labor costs incurred.
For In Transition respondents, the main factor affecting their decision to fully convert to organic farming is the nature of the farming system. They mentioned that organic farming is labor intensive as they need to produce their own feeds given the unavailability of organic feeds in the market. The slow growth of swine that is raised organically was also mentioned.
For Organic Practitioners and In Transition respondents, the main facilitating factor for their continued adoption of organic practices is government assistance and sustained demand for organic swine. They want reassurance that there is assured demand for organic swine to guarantee that their investments will not be wasted.
Organic practitioners believe that to entice farmers to shift into organic farming, there
should be more training courses and seminars on organic swine production. They believe that this will educate farmers on the benefits of organic farming and how organic swine production works. A few Organic practitioners cited availability of organic feeds in the market, high demand, and getting financial assistance as motivations for other farmers to shift into organic swine production.
In comparing the annual production of swine producer-respondents, Organic practitioners had the lowest average costs (PhP 38,778).
Conventional practitioners, on the other hand, had the highest total returns (PhP 101,214.37) and net returns (PhP 23,630.51). For organic farming to be profitable, the average number of swine they produce must be increased to also increase their profit.
Most organic farming practitioners in the study sites raise free range pigs.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of grower-seller- respondents reported that they encountered problems related to the marketing or production aspect of raising organic swine. Problems reported by grower-sellers were mostly issues on farmgate prices and limited/distant market outlets; foremost of which was low selling price/price dictated by the traders (11 out of 25). Wholesaler and assemblers, on the other hand, reported low prices of native/organic swine and rejects due to excess weight of the swine. Other problems raised included delayed payments, ASF issue, and fees given to Manila traffic enforcers. Other issues also include the strong smell of pigs even during transportation or shipping, and difficulties in finding a location to place the pigs.
It is difficult to enter the organic swine industry because of the certification process and
requirements and limited supply of organic feeds. On the other hand, it is easy to exit this industry. Certification requirements along with the limited supply of organic feeds and labor- intensiveness of going organic makes it harder for farmers to venture and stick to organic farming.
CONSUMERS OF ORGANIC SWINE
Consumer respondents (VFC and FC) believe that there are benefits in consuming organic swine. More than half of them believe that it is healthy to eat and is not harmful to the body. When deciding about consumption of organic swine, there are certain characteristics that consumers look for and these include palatability, taste, nutrient content, and price.
Consumers interviewed are conscious of food safety and expressed that organic swine should be certified.
Consumer respondents were asked to rank factors affecting their preference for organic swine and topping the list of preferences was health (80%) followed by nutrition (58%) and food safety (46%). Other factors which were given importance by the consumers included environmental effects, taste preference, and price.
Generally, people view organic pork as more expensive than conventionally grown ones.
Only 30% are willing to pay 10 to 30% more for organic pork. The rest are willing to pay less or just the same price of conventional pork.
Close to 70% of respondents said there were no such policies on consumer protection. For those who know some policies, the following were mentioned: needs inspection of livestock and meat inspector, prohibiting selling of double dead swine, among others. While there are already existing policies, respondents suggest that the Organic Act and certication of organic products be strictly implemented, as well as inspection of piggeries by MAOs and/or sanitary inspections. Policies on where to locate pig pens so they could be far from residential areas and proper waste disposal should also be focused on.
The funds for organic agriculture comes from the national government. DA ATI allocates the funds from the DA to its regional training centers. Not all submitted proposals from the farmers’ associations, however, are approved due to budget limitations and changing priority areas for funding. At the municipal level, there is also insufficient funds for conducting activities related to organic livestock. Travel allocation is not enough to cover all barangays and all commodities assigned to them. The roll-out of funds from the implementation of RA 11511 is expected to augment this concern.
Swine raising plays a big role in the livelihood of Marinduqueños as lechon is one of the province’s main products.
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Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies
CALL FOR ACTION
Swine producers will be encouraged to shift to organic farming given an assured market, a stable supply of organic inputs, availability of capacity-building opportunities, and provision of support services, including financial assistance and organic inputs. With these conditions, the following are some recommendations:
1. Revisit and improve the National Organic Action Plan (NOAP);
2. Craft a deliberate transition plan from conventional method to organic agriculture that farmers can follow;
3. Allocate budget for additional plantilla items in local agriculture/veterinary offices;
4. Allocate funds for the establishment of shared facilities, conduct of extension and training, animal distribution and feeds, socialized credit, research and development, and marketing and promotion;
5. Establish partnerships among the municipal and provincial local government, regional and national line agencies, as well as the academe and private organizations;
6. Create an organic hub that can serve as market hub for swine and organic inputs;
7. Craft local ordinances that complement with national government initiatives on organic agriculture;
8. Promote agriculture in all levels of education and provide funding for deserving students to enhance the pool of agricultural technologists in the country.
9. Intensify IEC in formal and non-formal education;
10. Form and strengthen local association of organic swine producers;
11. Create a centralized database of raisers and associations;
12. Popularize the benefits of practicing organic agriculture and consuming organically-produced products;
13. Develop a feedback mechanism for stakeholders’ concerns via a software application; and
14. Conduct regular consultations with stakeholders.
This policy brief highlights the findings of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) – funded project titled Policy Support to the Organic Chicken and Organic Swine Industry in Selected
Areas, Philippines. It is intended to promote policy relevant ideas among key decision makers. This paper has been internally reviewed, but not peer reviewed.
Published by the Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies, in celebration of the 25th Founding Anniversary of the College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños.
For queries, suggestions, and more information, contact the CSPPS Editorial Team at:
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No part of this policy brief may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner or the authors.
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