The Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to raise by five times in five years the local production of livestock and poultry, which will be a legacy of the Marcos Jr. administration that reverses any record of excessive importation in order to benefit Filipino farmers.
As a marching order from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as concurrent Agriculture Secretary, the government will pursue all means to raise livestock and poultry production to achieve food security, according to DA Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano.
This will go along with raising farmers’ profit and lowering farm product prices while ensuring the availability of sources of protein for consumers.
At the Poultry Forum 2023, Savellano said that as food security is national security, raising local agricultural production will be prioritized. It will be realized through a consultative approach to governance.
“Recommendations from various sectors of our agriculture are currently being heard and studied on what, where, and how government actions are to be applied to boost our poultry sector,” he said.
“We have started to meet with stakeholders to strategize a common direction and priorities in order to significantly increase our local food production, making it efficient, robust, and profitable for farmers.”
The same assurance of consultative governance was given by Savellano during an earlier convention of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc.
“We will find ways to produce more to lessen importations. By consulting with livestock associations on how much each sector can produce, (we will know) the actual demand. It will be the consideration in determining the minimal quantity of imports.”
Importation in previous years has brought huge opportunity losses for the local poultry industry. DA aims to reverse these losses into gains.
Chicken meat importation has been consistently rising from 45.772 million kilos in 2008 to 67.264 million in 2009, 101.957 million in 2010, 127.227 million in 2011, and 411.069 million in 2022.
United Broilers and Raisers Association (UBRA) Chairman Gregorio San Diego said during the same poultry forum that the direct impact of this importation is displaced local production totaling a whopping P58.286 billion (299.366 million broilers).
Displaced too are 315.122 million day-old broilers amounting to P9.138 billion and 2.52 million broiler breeders valued at P756.294 million. Lost sales from byproducts (head, feet, intestine, blood) total P5.987 billion.
Importation brings lost direct labor totaling 31,512 at one caretaker per 10,000 broilers and lost jobs in feed milling, trucking, and dressing plants.
Lost feed sales total P4.877 billion. Lost feeds ingredient sales totals P11.89 billion (corn); P8.154 billion (soya); P4.478 billion (coconut oil); and P1.132 billion (rice bran).
There is also opportunity loss for veterinary products (disinfectants, vaccines vitamins, antibiotics), P3.623 billion. Dressing plants have lost business of P2.993 billion.