MANILA, Philippines – The local corn industry has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to approve the permits for corn traits that are still awaiting renewal or face further plummeting of the country’s corn production next year.
The Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (Philmaize) said farmers fear the country might experience more difficulty in corn production with some Bt corn hybrids still not available for planting this season.
“Corn farmers expressed worries that corn yield will plummet come harvest season on the first quarter of 2017 as some hybrid seeds are not yet available,” Philmaize president Roger Navarro said.
The group is urging the DA to immediately approve permits for farmers to avail of several corn varieties this planting season that are resistant to corn borers, cutworm and ear worm which are prevalent during the dry season.
“We can achieve a more successful agriculture sector if farmers are given more room to decide on critical farming processes,” Navarro said.
He added the best strategy to address the challenge in corn production is to provide farmers more corn seed types to choose from.
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“Farmers can assess for themselves which seeds will grow best in their farms. Thus, farmers should always be given the freedom to choose what they feel is best for them as certain corn traits are needed to ensure we have increased yields and increased income in the coming harvest year,” he added.
Corn is a major component in animal feed production and continuing decline in corn production would significantly affect the livestock and poultry industries.
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the local agriculture sector is expected to bounce back in the last quarter following the end of the El Niño phenomenon.
Although not giving exact growth projections, he said there will be an improvement in the crops which include corn and fisheries sub-sectors by the fourth quarter of the year.
“We cannot quantify yet. But I expect the grains sector to post huge gains along with the fisheries and high value crops,” he said.
The country’s agricultural production declined 3.48 percent in the first half of the year due to the prolonged dry spell brought about by the recently ended El Niño episode.
In particular, corn production in the second quarter was lower by 10 percent due to reduction in area harvested and lower yields because of the dry spell in Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, SOCCSKSARGEN and ARMM.
