TALISAY CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – A top gamebird farm owner here said the local breeding industry has lost at least P3 billion over the past two years due to restrictions in response to the COVID pandemic.
Lance Dela Torre told DNX the industry is headed for brighter days though as alert levels are being lowered and as restrictions are being eased.
Surprisingly though, electronic cockfighting, more known as e-Sabong in the country, will help the industry even though it, too was partly to blame for plummeting gamebird prices.
“It went down to as low as P1,000,” Dela Torre told DNX at his coffeeshop inside his sprawling breeding farm in Cabatangan, an elevated village at least 15 kilometers away from the city proper.
Breeding farms dot the village, the elevation and cool climate of which are believed to produce better gamebirds.
The dip in prices was prompted by the opening of e-Sabong operations that made backyard breeders sell their battle stags, gamefowls at least a year old, for the rock-bottom price of P1,000 from the “normal” price of P5,000 to P7,000 before the pandemic, Dela Torre explained.
Other industry observers said the price of a stag and other breeding materials depends largely on the breeder, with some commanding up to six figures for a trio or a rooster and two hens.
Watch the full interview with Dela Torre below.
