Corn Postharvest Facilities

RP corn farmers want postharvest facilities.

Corn farmers, led by the Philippine Maize Federation (Philmaize), want government to put in place the necessary infrastructure such as post-harvest facilities for them to fully participate in corn trading.

Philmaize president Roger Navarro said that while the government’s plan to trade in corn is laudable, farmers will have a hard time ensuring the quality of corn without the needed postharvest facilities such as silos and dryers.

“Of utmost concern [to us] is the issue of corn post-harvest facilities. We should first put the necessary infrastructure to give farmers the capability to process, store, and guarantee good quality corn for the market,” said Navarro, who is in Brazil together with the Philippine delegation.

Representatives from Philmaize are in Brazil to learn efficient corn-production technologies. Brazil is the world’s third largest corn producer.

The Philmaize chief said he hopes that the government will consider buying more corn from farmers during the main harvest season starting in August, and estimated that the yield will likely reach around 3 million metric tons.

“We understand that the recently approved support price of P13 per kilo is intended to cover only 10 percent of the main harvest,” he said.

Meanwhile, Navarro lauded the reported decision of the inter-agency committee on tariff and related matters to recommend the scrapping of the duty-free privilege for feed-grade wheat.

“This will surely motivate our corn farmers to plant more corn and expand their operations,” he said.

Earlier, stakeholders from the livestock and poultry sector appealed to President Arroyo to retain the duty-free privilege for feed-grade wheat, citing the need to stabilize prices of basic commodities such as pork and chicken products.

Members of the Agriculture Alliance said reinstating the 7-percent tariff on feed wheat will make corn more costly in light of the projected 600,000-metric ton shortage this year.

Executive Order 765, which scrapped the 7-percent duty on feed-grade wheat, expired on June 21. The Cabinet has yet to sit down and discuss whether the duty-free privilege will be totally scrapped.

By Business Mirror

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