January 16, 2007

Philippine corn farmers opposes importation of corn

Corn growers in the Philippines are protesting the request of poultry and hog farmers to import corn at zero tariff, saying the move will cause their incomes to severely drop. 

Rosalie Ellasus, national president of the Philippine Maize Federation (PhilMaize) told the Business Mirror daily, said her group is strongly objecting the sourcing of corn from abroad at this time when harvest in Mindanao is at its peak and corn supply is expected to be ample.

Poultry growers led by the Philippine Association of Broiler Integrators (PABI) have earlier pushed for the importation of as much as 700,000 metric tonnes (MT) of corn minus the customary 35 percent duty to ease the increase in corn prices in the domestic market.     

But the PhilMaize official said this move will only result to a drastic drop of incomes of corn farmers as the entry of imported corn will result in a 30-percent reduction in the price of local corn as the landed cost of the imports will settle at P10 per kilogramme.