April 2, 2004

 

 

Philippines To Encourage Hybrid Corn Production In Bid To Increase Hog Volume

 

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has intensified its hybrid corn program in Mindanao in its effort to increase the volume of hogs in the country and bring down price.

 

Roger Chio, regional director of DA in Southern Mindanao, said that they already identified Regions 10, 11, 12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to implement their Hycare (hybrid corn area for expansion) program. He said through the program, they hope to be able to harvest an additional 300,000 metric tons of corn in the next few months.

 

We would be able to harvest in three months time,"  he said.

 

With this, the DA has allocated P36 million as subsidy to farmers in buying hybrid corn seeds and to encourage them in planting corn.

 

We will sell each bag at P1,200 and the remaining balance of that will be paid for by the farmer,"  he said, explaining that the prevailing price of each bag of corn seeds is P2,000.

 

Chio said that the program is projected to result in another 30,000 to 40,000 additional hectares planted with corn.

 

He said because of the price of feeds at an average of P10 per kilo, hog raisers are having a hard time coping up with the production cost.

 

This has resulted in a reduction in the total production of hogs in Mindanao by 30 percent, he added.

 

Teresita Pascual, president of the Davao Hog Raisers Association, said that hog raisers in the region have decided to cut back on their production volume because of the high cost of feeds.

 

She said they are just trying to ride with the tide, hoping that in the next few months, the price of corn in the world market will decline.

 

The high cost of feeds and the reduction of the production of hogs have prompted the DA to import a total of 350,000 metric tons of corn, with the last tranche of shipment arriving next month, which will be sold to the feed millers in the country.

 

But Chio is not really confident about the reduction of prices in feeds anytime soon even with the importation and the Hycare program of the government.

 

The prices of corn will stay probably for the next few months,"  he said. " Hopefully upon the arrival of the imported corn the price will reduce."