Corn imports next year uncertain

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has not yet decided on whether to import corn next year.

Agriculture Undersecretary and concurrent National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Domingo Panganiban said it is too early to determine if corn importation is needed in 2001.

Agriculture Secretary Edgardo J. Angara said earlier the government may have to import 300,000 to 500,000 metric tons of corn.

Panganiban clarified that such volume is the usual importation done by NFA to keep local corn prices stable and to prevent shortages, especially when corn-producing areas are affected by typhoons.

He said that for the first quarter next year, corn production should recover at least 1.9 percent of total corn production lost in the last two strong typhoons that hit the country this year.

Panganiban said the NFA will be able to determine if importation is needed after the first quarter corn harvest in 2001.

In anticipation of the recurrence of the El Niño phenomenon, Angara also ordered the NFA to double the area planted to yellow corn from 250,000 hectares to 500,000 hectares.

The Bureau of Agriculture Statistics (BAS) earlier forecast corn output to reach 1.089 million in the first quarter of 2001, exceeding this year’s January March crop by eight percent.

BAS said this will be the result of a 7.1-percent expansion in intended plantings as farmers anticipate a favorable weather for corn and a slight improvement in the overall yield per hectare.

BAS also projected the 2000 palay crop to have a robust growth despite the onslaught of this year’s killer typhoons Reming and Seniang.

BAS Director Romeo Recide’s earlier report showed that of this year’s October-December crop, about 57 and 20 percent of palay and corn crops are estimated to have been harvested already. In areas affected by typhoons Reming and Seniang, 41 to 81 percent were harvested for palay while 35 to 85 percent were harvested for corn.

For the first nine months of the year, the volume of importation under MAV or minimum access volume scheme has increased considerably. A total 172,327 MT of imported corn or nearly 100 percent of the MAV allocation of 173,550 MT was brought into the country.

MAV products include sensitive farm commodities such as corn, sugar, pork, chicken, onion and coffee. Volume imported outside of MAV is called MAV plus which has higher tariffs.