The Department of Agriculture is set to import as much as 300,000 metric tons of corn this year amid the projected shortfall in livestock and poultry feeds, a development that is both curse and a gift to the farm sector.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the DA is now seeking the approval of Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez for the importation of 200,000 MT to 300,000 MT of corn at lower tariffs to fill up the shortfall caused by El Niño on the country’s feed crops.
It’s a bad thing that corn was hit by El Niño because it’s causing a shortfall on livestock and poultry feeds. But the shortfall is also a good thing, Piñol said, because it means there’s high demand for these commodities.
Piñol said the Philippines’ hog industry is expected to benefit from the woes of countries affected by the African Swine Fever, especially China which culled millions of pigs across the country the contain the spread of the deadly pork disease. “The DA expects a dramatic growth of the hog and poultry sector this year,” Piñol said.
No cases of ASF have been detected in the Philippines so far. But all the entry points in the Philippine have tightened security versus the potential entry of the virus since the country imports significant amount of pork and pork products from ASF-affected countries like China.
“With China importing huge volumes of pork as a result of the ASF devastation, pork world market prices have gone up, giving the Filipino hog farmers a respite from the inflow of cheaper imported pork,” Piñol said. “In fact, some large hog production groups are now eyeing the export of Philippine pork to China, a move which could create a supply shortage in the local market,” he added.
Aside from importation, the DA is now scouting for additional 100,000 hectares of land to be planted with corn and another 100,000 hectares with sorghum this year, a move to be backed by a budget proposal worth P2 billion that also awaits the approval of Dominguez.
With available local feed materials like corn and sorghum, local hog and poultry raisers could increase their production while at the same time reduce production cost.
The additional 100,000 hectares to be planted to corn will be on top of what has already been covered by farmers this cropping season. (Madeleine Miraflor)
