September 5, 2014
Philippines to begin exporting cattle feed to South Korea this month
The Philippineswill start exporting cattle feed to South Korea beginning this month.
Edilberto de Luna, assistant secretary at the Philippine Department of Agriculture, said a local feed processing company, Benacorn, is scheduled to ship 10,000 tonnes of corn sillage to Busan, Korea, this month.
A form of animal feed, corn silage is composed of corn grain and corn plant. De Luna said total silage demand by Busan alone is 30,000 tonnes a months.
Traders in Davao City and Bayambang town in Pangasinan are also expected to start exporting the corn-based animal feed to Busan this month.
In January next year, another Filipino company will start exporting total mixed ration (TMR) to South Korea.
Quantity of the first shipment was not, however, revealed. The local TMR, de Luna said, is composed of corn silage, rice hay, bagasse, sugar and pineapple toppings.
In June this year, the Philippines secured a number of trade commitments from South Korean companies for the importation of Philippine agro-fishery products.
Last month, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala announced the signing of a partnership agreement between South Korea''s Hapchon Livestock Cooperative Union and a number of Filipino companies led by Benacorn and Ploughshares Inc. on corn and other animal feedstock.
With this partnership agreement, he said, the Philippines can now look forward to additional exports of corn silage and other animal feedstock.
The Philippines expect this year''s corn production to reach 5.4 million tones, 100,000 tonnes more than local industry requirements of 5.3 million tonnes.
Alcala added that a bumper cassava production expected at 2.6 million tonnes this year, against actual feed requirement of only 600,000 tonnes, will make the Philippines self-sufficient in livestock feeds.
De Luna the private sector is planning to export up to 500,000 tonnes of corn in 2014. But "there are considerations to be made," he added, "considering that the world market for corn currently is 14 pesos/kg (US$0.32/kg) to 15 pesos/kg (US$0.34/kg), which is only a breakeven price."