September 21, 2010
 

Philippines evaluates sufficiency of chicken production

The Philippine government is discussing whether to take measures to ensure the country's chicken supply until the end of the year.

Agriculture officials met Friday (Sep 17) with poultry producers to determine if the country has enough chicken until the end of the year, reports said.

Assistant Secretary for Livestock Davinio P. Catbagan noted an over-supply of poultry meat, with inventories now doubling to 6,500 tonnes, due to local production that has been boosted by breeders imported in 2009.

He added that due to the current oversupply, some industry players have cut production.

"We need to talk to industry stakeholders because there might be an excessive reduction in supply. We need to make sure that there will be enough supply by the end of year in December," he said.

Gregorio A. San Diego, president of Union of Broilers and Raisers Association, confirmed this, saying that a number of farmers have cut around 20% to 30% of production because of the oversupply.