January 13, 2009
Philippines to see pork, poultry price hikes
Hog farmers in the Philippines have warned of pork and poultry price increases anew due to a shortage in corn for feed production.
Rene Eleria of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. (NFHFI) said prices of corn went up to P24 to P25 per kilogramme, more than twice the support price of P11.50/k due to the grain's shortage amid claims by the Department of Agriculture that corn production for 2008 is projected to reach 6.9 million tonnes.
Eleria has doubted that figure, adding that the Philippine Association of Feedmillers, Inc have already written to the DA last month to ask permission to import 300,000 tonnes of corn to arrive before March 2009.
By April, local corn farmers will start harvesting their production.
The DA did not act on the corn importation request, thereby, pushing up the price of local corn to P25 to P25/k as of January 12, Eleria said.
This, he said, will increase the cost of production which, in turn, will lead to an increase in chicken and pork prices.
