Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap has announced that the government, for the first time in history, is gearing up for the commercial exportation of yellow corn.
The National Food Authority (NFA) has gotten in touch with its counterparts in Vietnam who have committed to prioritize buying Philippine corn.
“The government is ready to export 50,000 to 150,000 metric tons of corn. This will come from Isabela, Pangasinan, Mindoro, Bukidnon, among other provinces,” NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro said.
Corn production for the second semester is expected to spike up from 656,723 MT to 802,964 MT in Region 2, while Northern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are expected to post significant increases as well.
With the increase of yellow corn production in the country, Yap sees this as a good opportunity for the country to export corn.
This new development in the corn sub-sector will help farmers, mostly in corn producing provinces, such as Isabela and Pangasinan, to earn more despite the looming price drop-off foreseen in the local corn industry due to surplus in production.
“We have consulted with the local corn farmers, and we have reached agreeable terms,” Yap said.
Upon the proposal of Yap, the government and the farmers have agreed on a new buying price of corn pegged at P10.00 per kilo instead of the prevailing market price of P6.50-P7.00 and the cost of production of corn at 7.81 per kg.
“This will enable the government to buy more grains as well as provide income to the farmers,” he said.
“As per our arrangement, the farmers have agreed to sell their produce at P10.00 per kilo. Para maiwasan din ang pagkalugi ng mga magmamais,” he added.
NFA has reached the total buying of corn to 600,000 metric tons because of the P10 buying price. Yap said more corn produce will be bought by the NFA from the local corn farmers at P10 per kilo.
“With this, the NFA has to work round-the-clock by extending working hours and implementing a seven-day operation and to do double-shifts daily,” Yap said.
Earlier, Yap had ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase corn procurement by as much as 200 percent as part of the government’s strategy to counter the effects of the looming price-crash of the grain and support the Filipino corn farmers.
Yap, who presented strategy measures as early as May 19 to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a Cabinet meeting held in General Santos City, instructed NFA Administrator Jessup Navarro to increase the corn-grain buying target from 100,000 metric tons to 300,000 MT as an affirmation of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) commitment to the farmers.
“We have funds for this and we will continue to support our farmers,” Yap said. He further instructed the NFA to look for other innovative ways to expand the support to the country’s corn farmers. PNA
