The Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc. said more members placed orders of corn from Isabela province as local harvest turned out to be better than anticipated.
PAFMI president Nicole Sarmiento-Garcia reported the development to Agriculture Secretary William Dar in a meeting Thursday. The Department of Agriculture linked PAFMI to Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano in July this year to encourage public and private sector coordination in corn sourcing.
Vitarich Corp., one of the oldest integrated feed milling companies in the country, was the first to issue a purchase order for 1,500 metric tons of corn delivered to its plant in Bulacan province at P14 per kilogram on a 30-day term.
Sarmiento-Garcia, who is also the executive vice president of Vitarich, said the company’s order was coursed through Governor Albano’s office. Isabela’s “DA-LGU Corn Clustering Program” organized corn farmers to put their harvest volume together for greater sales negotiating and more efficient logistics contracting.
PAFMI said more than the volume available, members noted the high quality of Isabela’s corn given its low moisture (14-percent and lower), low kernel damage (less than 5 percent) and low aflatoxin level (less than 20 part per billion).
Aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring toxin caused by fungus which in turn is brought about by the stress due to exposure to extreme heat or insect damage.
Other PAFMI members such as Sunjin Feed Mills and CJ Feeds also purchased Isabela corn through the usual private corn traders.
Prices vary according to the location of delivery points. The price delivered to Batangas is P14.80 per kilo because of higher trucking cost.
The Philippines produces around 5.6 million MT of yellow corn annually, short of the annual feed milling sector requirement of nearly 10 million MT. The shortage is filled with 3.9 million MT feed wheat and yellow corn imports from ASEAN countries.
PAFMI said it was looking to buy more local corn this year, cooperating with the DA’s efforts to encourage more farmers to plant more corn by increasing hectarage using better seed materials.
There is also an effort to provide more storage and drying facilities for corn.
Corn comprises 50 percent to 60 percent of animal feed formulation while soybean meal takes up 20 percent to 25 percent of the formula. Corn provides the carbohydrate or energy giving portion while soybean meal provides the protein or meat development component. Rice or wheat bran and vitamins are the other ingredients.
PAFMI has 33 members including Vitarich Corp., Feed world Inc., Philippine Foremost Milling Corp. and Pilmico Foods and General Milling Corp.