By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 18: A total of 1,600 live pigs from Sarawak have been shipped to Peninsular Malaysia to cushion pork supply shortages caused by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak.
According to a TVS news report, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) Dato Sri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the export of live pigs from Sarawak to Port Klang for slaughter was among the immediate interventions taken by the government to stabilise pork prices.
“This measure helps reduce the impact of local production losses caused by ASF, and the number is expected to continue rising with new applications,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Arthur disclosed that the ASF outbreak had severely reduced the national pig population, from 1.86 million heads in 2021 to just 1.24 million last year.
In addition to relying on Sarawak, he said the government is also implementing long-term strategies by promoting modern farming concepts and establishing Pig Farming Areas (PFAs) in other producing states.
“For example, a PFA will be developed in Tongod, Sabah, at a total cost of RM26 million, complete with infrastructure to ensure more integrated, high-biosecurity and sustainable pig farming.
“Engagement sessions with farmers, slaughterhouses and importers will also be held so that livestock challenges and disease control can be addressed more effectively,” he added.
For the record, Malaysia’s pork self-sufficiency rate (SSR) in 2024 stood at 67.8 per cent. — DayakDaily
