Chamber backs consolidation of corn farms, logistics investment

CORN FARMS need to be consolidated and backed with improved logistics to boost their output and bring down feed costs, benefiting the livestock industry, the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI) said.

In a statement, PCAFI called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to invest about P500 million for every thousand hectares planted to corn in regions II, X and XII, which harvest corn twice a year.

It said the DA should accelerate clustering and consolidation of corn producers and provide appropriate logistics to reduce transfer costs and enhance corn farmers’ earning opportunities.

The government should also consider implementing a floor price scheme for corn, it added.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier noted a rise in global corn production, which may result in higher prices of feed corn in the global market.

Citing its foreign agriculture service in Manila, the USDA said production in the Philippines is forecast to grow 0.6% year on year to 8.2 million tons in marketing year 2025/26, due in large part to better weather conditions and continued government support.

It added that local production is not likely to satisfy demand from the broiler, layer, aquaculture, and pet food industries.

PCAFI said the government also needs to scale up production of cassava and sweet potato to ease shortages in other raw materials needed for animal feed.

It said the policy governing food imports must be rationalized to ensure that imports are resorted to only in the event of domestic shortages to protect farmers from price competition. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza