June 12, 2024

 

Officials from Ilagan, Philippines visit Thailand to boost local corn industry

Officials from the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry Region 2 (DTI R2) teamed up with the city government of Ilagan, Isabela, Philippines, for a two-day business mission to Thailand to bolster Ilagan's status as the corn capital of the Philippines by exploring further mechanisation and development opportunities for the city's corn industry, Manila Standard reported.

 

Ilagan is a significant contributor to corn production in the Philippines, with a record output of 155,767,000 kg of corn per cropping season. This production accounts for 2.07% of the national corn output and 13.92% of Isabela province's total production.

 

With 33% of its land dedicated to agriculture, Ilagan's local government is actively pursuing initiatives to transform corn production into a sustainable and lucrative enterprise for its residents, particularly local farmers.

 

Ilagan City Mayor Josemarie Diaz, along with officials from DTI R2, joined the mission. The itinerary included visits to renowned private companies and government-operated facilities in Thailand, known for their advanced machinery and export-quality corn products. The visit aimed to assess the feasibility of integrating Thai technologies into Ilagan City's existing infrastructure.

 

The delegation's first stop was at the National Corn and Sorghum R&D Centre at Kasetsart University, where they learned about the latest advancements in maize and sorghum production. These insights are expected to enhance the quality and efficiency of corn farming in Ilagan City.

 

They also visited the Thai Danish Dairy Farm, a key player in the dairy industry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives' Farming Promotion Organisation. This visit provided knowledge instrumental in formulating policies and government interventions to maximize production in Ilagan's dairy sector.

 

The first day concluded with a tour of the Hualam Collective Farm-Corn Silage Group, which boasts a 40 to 50-tonne daily production capacity, exporting to Japan, Qatar, Korea, and China. The team envisioned scaling up operations for Ilagan's local farmers to produce export-quality products.

 

On the second day, the delegation visited KU Beef and River Kwai, private facilities specialising in meat and corn processing that uphold high export standards. The state-of-the-art technologies and processes observed at these facilities have the potential to influence policy and intervention strategies aimed at enhancing Ilagan City's local production.

 

This visit builds on previous initiatives, including DTI R2's visit to the Hualam Collective Farm in 2022. That visit encouraged DTI R2 to form a technical working group and explore opportunities in export-quality corn silage production in Ilagan City.

 

-      Manila Standard