By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The livestock and poultry industry of Negros Occidental suffered losses amounting to P4.6 million due to the prevailing effects of El Niño phenomenon.
The poultry sector, particularly broiler chickens, incurred the biggest losses amounting to P1.489 million, based on the report of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).
The PVO also recorded losses in other poultry animals such as layers (P478,564), free-range chicken (P474,323), and gamefowl (P450,500).
The dry spell also affected the swine sector which lost P1.183 million while cattle suffered P369,278 in losses.
According to Alpha Grace Tupas, project development officer of the PVO, the cumulative report covers 26 affected local government units in the province.
Swine for livestock and broiler for poultry are most vulnerable to extreme heat, as earlier disclosed by the PVO, since fowls have difficulty regulating body temperature for lack of sweat glands.
For the broiler and layers, they have weak coping mechanism when it comes to heat regulation even if their metabolism is fast.
Tupas said they do not expect the losses to increase already experienced in some parts of the province.
