DA pushes integration of corn, livestock industries

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing for the integration of the corn feed business with the livestock and poultry sub-sectors as part of a total approach to ensure the sustained development of the Philippine hog industry.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said the DA is encouraging more feed milling and hog- and chicken-growing ventures in corn-producing areas.

Likewise, the DA is pushing for more corn-planting activities around hog and chicken areas to integrate the co-dependent industries.

Salacup said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the Livestock Development Council (LDC) and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) are determined to reinforce the sector, and guarantee the future progress of the Filipino hog industry.

The DA is proposing the creation of a Livestock and Poultry Board to oversee the various livestock and poultry sectors along with interrelated groups such as corn growers and feed millers.

The DA would recommend to President Arroyo the issuance of an executive order to create the proposed livestock and poultry commodity board.

The proposed board would decide such issues as import requirements of meat processors to ensure that shipments do not create supply “surges” that unduly depress farm gate prices, and implementation of intervention programs in corn areas that supply the requirements of livestock and poultry farms, among others.