Artificial Insemination is among the first biotechniques adopted by livestock industries which was first introduced to the Philippines in the 1930’s. began only in 1954 but adoption was low until the late 1980’s. Low adaption was blamed on:
• Lack of Technical Expertise
• Unavailable equipment and materials for A.I.
• Lack of technology to process and preserve the semen
In the late 1980’s, interes
t on A.I. was rekindled by:
• Desire to acquire and multiply superior genetics in breeding herds
• Development of techniques that extend the volume of semen from one ej*******on to several doses and store them for an appreciable shelf life of refrigerated semen
• Easy access of materials (i.e. extenders, disposable catheters, squeeze bottles, sterile lubricants) needed for A.I. To date, Artificial Insemination is part of the routine practices of swine breeder and commercial farms. 100% of accredited swine breeder farms utilized A.I. In 2016, value of production in the swine industry was estimated to be Php 211.43 Billion, it ranks 3rd after rice and fishery industries in terms of contribution to GVA in Agriculture. Technology is perceived by the government and private industry as vital in achieving the desired productivity, efficiency and growth of the Philippine Swine Industry. Adoption of A.I. in commercialized hog farms is estimated at 70-80% while in the backyard farms, adoption of A.I. The goal of the business is to minimize the gap with the genetic quality of backyard hog raisers & small farms from the commercialized farms by offering affordable A.I services.
