April 28, 2022

Philippines presidential candidate suggests backing research on alternative animal feed

Philippines presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. vowed this week to fund research on alternative raw materials for animal feeds — in a bid to lower the price of pork — if he is elected in the upcoming elections.

Marcos said that the Philippines' dependence on foreign-sourced raw materials in animal feed is a contributor to the high prices of pork products in the country.

"Reducing or eliminating this (dependence) would ultimately lead to reduced farm gate prices," Marcos said in a statement.

According to Marcos, feed alone equates to 54.64% of the cost for backyard raisers and 64.53% for commercial raisers. He also noted that the cost of feed in the Philippines is higher compared to Vietnam and China.

"There is ongoing research for the use of copra meal and cassava as an alternative feed ingredient and we will support that initiative.  Alongside this, we will look into improving the yield of cassava to make it readily available as raw material,"  Marcos said. "There is also an urgent need for us to revive our local corn production because the high tariff imposed on imported corn drives the price of feeds further."

Marcos added: "We need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the proposal to lift the ban on processed animal protein. The local hog industry is just beginning to recover.  We cannot risk this sector to be devastated again by ASF (African swine fever)."

- Inquirer.Net