January 24, 2008 | 12:00am
Efforts must be made to bring down the cost of production for livestock and poultry if the Philippines is to successfully export its pork and chicken products, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Davinio Catbagan said yesterday.
In a press briefing, Catbagan pointed out that foreign buyers are always seeking competitive prices. Thus, even though the Philippines may be free from avian influenza and the dreaded foot and mouth disease, its pork and chicken products must be competitively priced, Catbagan stressed.
He said the Philippines’ biggest export rival is Thailand. Catbagan said Philippine livestock and poultry growers find it hard to compete because the cost of production inputs, particularly feeds, continues to rise due to the rising cost of feed inputs such as wheat, corn, and soybeans. He said the Department of Agriculture is working on increasing local production of corn to lessen reliance on the increasingly expensive imported corn.
According to Catbagan, bringing down the cost of production is an important factor in increasing the country’s competitiveness in pork and chicken products.
Other measures necessary to achieve the export goal, Catbagan said, are being undertaken by the DA and BAI. These include ensuring good genetic material, proper disease prevention and control and implementing good biosecurity measures.
Catbagan said the Philippines, has good export potentials for its poultry products to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore is keen on importing Philippine pork products.
