Corn farmers hit government inaction vs pest infestation

MANILA, Philippines — The P104.4 billion corn industry is in peril as pests have ravaged several corn farms across the country.

Corn farmers are expected to continue incurring losses in the next harvest season due to pest infestation, according to the Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (PhilMaize).

“We see imminent danger in the country’s corn industry especially in the next season crop due to the laxity and inaction of DA-BPI (Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry). Since the fall armyworm hit our country, we still have to see if there is a plan to eradicate pests, “ PhilMaize president Roger Navarro said in a text message.

“Without the official guidance coming from the authority, our corn farmers will suffer the consequences. Farmers have already suffered from previous losses due to low prices even with good volume harvest coupled with the uncalibrated, uncontrolled importation of corn substitute like feed wheat, challenges of climatic conditions, and now fall armyworm,” he said.

Navarro said he already sought a dialogue with Agriculture Secretary William Dar on how to address the issue but to no avail.

The first incident of fall armyworm was reported in June last year in Cagayan province. It has now spread to more areas and regions including Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western, Central and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

PhilMaize said the DA and BPI should fast track all the necessary modalities that will combat fall armyworm so as not to affect more corn farming areas nationwide.

“This has been here since last year.  It has now spread to other regions and yet no official guidance as to what to do. Control measures must be  disseminated to farmers through information campaigns,” Navarro said.

Fall armyworm was originally native to America. It was reported in Africa in 2016 followed by India and several Asia Pacific countries, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and China.

Fall armyworm poses a threat outside its range particularly in temperate regions because adult armyworm can travel several hundred kilometers.

Damage across the globe has been estimated in billions of dollars.

Apart from corn, the pest attacks many other economically important crops like rice, sugarcane, sorghum, beet, tomato, potato, cotton and pasture grasses.

Corn was considered as a “poor man’s rice” in the 1960s when a rice shortage forced many Filipinos to eat inferior rice mixed with rough corn grits.

 Approximately one-third of Filipino farmers or 1.8 million individuals depend on corn as their major source of livelihood.