DA enforces measures to stabilize chicken supply, prices
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) now allowed the inter-island movement from mainland Luzon of day-old chicks, hatching eggs, and ready-to-lay pullets (egg-laying hens) to increase chicken production and stabilize its supply and market price.
DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Director Reildrin Morales said that the move is part of their interventions to thwart the increasing price of poultry brought about by higher demand for chicken and seemingly low poultry production.
Morales, however, explained that for day-old chicks and hatching eggs, movement is allowed provided they tested negative for Avian Influenza (AI) 28 days from the date of sample collection.
For ready-to-lay pullets, on the other hand, movement is allowed provided they tested negative for AI 14 days from the date of sample collection.
Aside from this measure, Morales said that the BAI determines the actual supply scenario by working closely with private sector partners to validate the broiler life cycle model regularly.
To address the high cost of agricultural inputs, Morales added that the DA executives will be conducting dialogues with other countries on possible alternative sources of cheaper feed ingredients.
On other disease concerns, the BAI has already issued special import permits for needed vaccines to support disease prevention of other poultry diseases such as Infectious Body Hepatitis (IBH).
Lastly, the DA has already lifted the temporary ban on poultry products from Spain, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
According to Morales, the increase in demand was caused by the opening of markets, including hotels and restaurants, now that pandemic restrictions are more relaxed.
Moreover, with the economy slowly opening up and creating job opportunities, more consumers have the purchasing power to buy meat for their families.
“The uneven demand-supply situation may also be attributed to the restrictions in movement of live birds, poultry products and by-products due to Avian Influenza (AI) cases in some areas,” Morales said.
The BAI has also monitored a decrease in production volume due to the high cost of feed inputs and challenges with other hepatitis in chickens. These could also be attributed to the stunted growth of poultry birds.
Early this week, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced that his administration’s priority is increasing the production of the country’s major staples, including corn, which is consumed as food and animal feed.
“Corn especially became very important because the feed-wheat that we were importing, na-cut off ang supply nation, so we have to substitute it with corn,” Marcos said.
“This season, the corn growers were able to come together and provide sufficient feed for the broiler production,” the President added.
As such, support will be given to industry stakeholders to ensure a steady poultry production and chicken supply.
