Prices of pork, poultry seen to rise anew

Prices of pork and poultry products may go up anew due to a shortage in corn for feed production, hog farmers warned yesterday.

Rene Eleria of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. (NFHFI) noted that the cost of corn has shot up to P24 to P25 per kilogram, more than twice the support price of P11.50/k. Elena said this is due to a shortage in supply despite claims by the Department of Agriculture that corn production for 2008 is projected to reach 6.9 million metric tons.

“We doubt that figure. If there is that much, why is there a shortage now?,” Eleria asked.

He pointed out that the Philippine Association of Feedmillers, Inc. (PAFMI) wrote a letter to the DA last month seeking permission to import 300,000 metric tons of corn, to arrive before March 2009.

By April, local corn farmers will start harvesting their production.

The DA has chosen not to act on the corn importation request, thereby pushing up the price of local corn to P25 to P25/k as of yesterday, Eleria said.

This, he said, will increase the cost of production which, in turn, will lead to an increase in chicken and pork prices.