March 12, 2004

Philippines To Avoid Buying Corn From Bird Flu-Infected Areas

The Philippines should avoid buying corn from countries that are infected with the bird flu virus to avoid the possible introduction of the disease into the country, the Department of Agriculture said Friday.
 
Agriculture Undersecretary Cesar Drilon said the department has already endorsed to the National Food Authority a technical recommendation made by the Bureau of Animal Industry on the matter.
 
The NFA is holding a tender on April 2 to buy 350,000 metric tons of yellow corn to fill a domestic shortfall. The NFA will buy the corn on behalf of poultry and hog raisers and feed millers.
 
According to BAI director Jose Molina, "while corn is not biologically infected with the avian flu virus, it is possible that it will serve as a...mechanical carrier of the virus through contamination of the grains and their carriers with respiratory secretions, excretions and fecal materials."
 
"We should be very careful in sourcing corn from the infected countries, thus our first recommendation is that we shouldn't import from Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam until the avian flu outbreak is fully contained," he said.
 
The Philippines has remained free of the avian flu virus even though the disease has hit ten other Asian countries.
 
NFA deputy administrator Gregorio Tan said it is up to the agriculture department to decide on restricting corn imports from bird-flu infected countries.
 
"It's the DA's call. If the secretary says so, we will simply follow the decision," Tan said.
 
Ric Pinca, vice-president of the Philippine Association of Feed Millers, Inc., however, said nearby Thailand and Vietnam are "the most economical and competitive source of corn imports."
 
"U.S. corn is also available but the freight cost has become so restrictive," Pinca said.
 
Molina said that if buying corn from avian-flu infected countries can't be avoided because of economic reasons, then precautionary measures should be observed.
 
"We should buy the corn only from provinces or areas not affected with the disease, at least 15 kilometers away from the declared quarantine-buffer zone boundary line," he said.
 
"The transport from the source to the shipping port should not pass through avian flu quarantined areas," Molina added.