DA crafts corn industry development roadmap

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is crafting a strategic and robust corn industry development roadmap which will address both the challenges and opportunities of the sector.

“The corn sector, being a major input to the poultry and swine industries, should be given more importance and long-term view to ensure its sustained contribution to the meat value chain and, in general, to the Philippine food systems,”Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement over the weekend.

He said the roadmap should address the industry’s major challenges, such as the much-needed investments in mechanizing farm operations to raise productivity, as well as the setting up of postharvest facilities to minimize wastage and reduce costs of storage and milling, including cost-efficient logistics and transport.

“Guided by the roadmap, our ‘OneDA Family,’ through the national corn program, will work doubly hard to increase the average yield per hectare and attain cost-efficiencies in the corn-feed-meat value chain, making it more competitive,” Dar said.

The country’s national average yield of yellow corn is 4.18 metric tons (MT) per hectare. However, combined with white corn, the total average yield is reduced to merely 3.18 MT per hectare.

In contrast, the average yield of hybrid corn is at least 8 MT per hectare, according to DA corn program director Milo delos Reyes.

Delos Reyes said the DA would focus on increasing the productivity of major corn producing areas of the country, particularly in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Northern Mindanao and SOCCSKSARGEN.

He will also address the provision of post harvest facilities for clustered farms to improve the quality of stored grains and reduce wastage, and linking them directly to corn processors.

“All this is aimed at increasing farmers’ incomes, and enhancing their competitiveness by reducing the cost of corn as raw material for various uses,”the DA said.

Meanwhile, delos Reyes said one of the key features that would be considered in the new roadmap is the need for the private sector, such as seed producers, feed millers, and commercial feed manufacturers to engage in more joint ventures or direct marketing linkages with organized corn farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs).

“Indeed, the private sector can greatly help improve the productivity and incomes of corn farmers in many parts of the country through such interventions,”Dar said.

DA assistant secretary and PCAF director Liza Battad said the roadmap is targeted to be completed and approved before the end of the month.

PCAF is the consultative arm and multi-stakeholder engagement mechanism of the DA.

A review of past government initiatives, including the current regulatory framework of the Philippine corn industry, will be included as the basis for the revised roadmap.

Among the other items under review are the needed government and private sector investments in post-harvest facilities, proposed higher DA budget to directly benefit corn farmers, and an improved value chain framework to highlight the contributions of other stakeholders that rely on corn as a major feed ingredient in the production of poultry, swine and aquaculture and other products.

“The roadmap is therefore envisioned to be wholly owned by the industry, and responsive to the aspirations of corn farmers and industry stakeholders who are dependent on this major commodity as a source of livelihood, employment, and incomes,”Dar said.