Villar pushes yellow corn production to develop cheaper animal feed
SENATOR Cynthia Villar, the chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, presided over the hearing held Wednesday, January 11, 2023, to tackle Senate Bill No. (SBN) 120 or the Yellow Corn Industry Development Act of 2022.
Villar said the proposed measure aims to develop and promote the yellow corn industry, enhance the availability of affordable and quality feeds, and provide for a Corn Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
Citing data collated by the Philippine Institute for Development Study (PIDS), Villar said corn price is a major driver of feed cost, which directly affects the cost of pig and chicken meat.
The senator said the development of a yellow corn industry goes hand-in-hand with the development of the livestock/poultry industries, along with the dairy industry, “because yellow corn is a key animal feed ingredient.”
On the demand and supply data, Villar said local production of yellow corn is on an upward trend – from 5.91 million metric tons in 2019 to 6.13 million metric tons in 2022.
However, she said, the demand is much higher – 8.98 million metric tons last year, forcing the government to import yellow corn.
