Philippine pork production dips in 2008
[27 April 2009] Disease, high production and marketing costs, bad weather are just among the problems that led to a 1.06% decline in Philippine pork production in 2008. DA Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said during the opening ceremonies of the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc (NFHFI)'s 18th Hog Convention and Trade Exhibits on Thursday. Mr Salacup said pork production dipped to 1.86 million tonnes from 1.9 million tonnes in 2007. Nevertheless, the local hog industry managed to contribute PHP 150 billion (USD 3.09 billion ) to the economy. He assured the local hog industry that the Department of Agriculture will continue to provide support to and reinforce the sector and “guarantee the future progress of the Filipino hog industry.” 
 
 
 

Monday, April 27, 2009Print This Page
New Biogas Generator Helps Farmers
PHILIPPINES - The government is urging pig and poultry farmers to adapt gas-fed generators to run on biogas, and simple technology is already available for the conversion.



To contribute to a cleaner environment and help cushion the adverse effects of global warming, owners of piggery and poultry farms are being urged by the Department of Science and Technology to make use of a technology that easily converts gas-fed generators into biogas generators, according to Manila Bulletin.

In an interview with the publication, Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) environment division chief, Dr Christopher Silverio, said they have developed a small gadget dubbed the new energy adaptor (NEA) that could convert a gas-fed generator into a methane or biogas generator.

He said the institute targets piggery and poultry farms in rural areas as the primary users of the technology, adding that an owner of a piggery farm in Mindoro has already expressed interest in the technology.

"[Mindoro} will be the first one to adopt the technology," he said, adding that it is expected to adopt the technology within the year.

Dr Silverio said the NEA gadget that could convert a 13 horsepower generator only costs 300 pesos (PHP) since the raw materials used to produce the technology are locally available.

"It is customized depending on the capacity of the generator," he said, adding that the technology has already been filed for patent before the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines.

In addition to the adapter, Dr Silverio's team also developed the energy facilitated adopter (EFA), which can convert a gas-fed generator into a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) generator.

Both the EFA and NEA are fabricated from PVC materials, which could facilitate the intake of methane or LPG into air-intake combustion port of the generator.

"These simple gadgets would run a generator without the use of gasoline," he said, adding that such generators can power electrical appliances like exhaust fans, light and refrigerators, among others.

"With these simple conversion kits, electric operators would run their generating units with either biogas or LPG instead of gasoline. In effect, operation would be more cost effective," Dr Silverio told Manila Bulletin.

 Philippines fails to secure FMD-free status
[28 April 2009] The Philippines has again failed to receive its FMD-free status with vaccination after the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) turned down its request, said National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc President Albert Lim. Mr Lim said the OIE wants the Philippines to seek FMD-free without vaccination status. Already the Visayas and Mindanao have been certified FMD-free without vaccination by the OIE, but some hog farms in Luzon are still vaccinating against the disease as a precautionary measure. Mr Lim said Batangas province only recently stopped vaccination, but Bulacan province is still vaccinating. Bulacan farmers are are hesitant to completely stop FMD vaccination especially with its recent bout with the Ebola Reston Virus. 
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 29, 2009Print This Page
Future Ban on GM Products Would Threaten Farming
PHILIPPINES - A future ban on genetically modified (GM) products in the province of Negros Occidental could lead to the collapse of the livestock and poultry industries, a leading veterinarian has warned.



Visaya Daily Star reports that provincial veterinarian, Renante Decena, has warned of the imminent collapse of the livestock, poultry and game fowl industries of Negros Occidental if the province bans GM products.

Almost 90 per cent of the ingredients for poultry and livestock feeds needed in Negros Occidental are imported, with the majority having been genetically modified, he said.

The average feed consumption needed by Negros Occidental is 140 tonnes per day, 91.5 tonnes of which is corn, while the remaining 40 per cent is made up of soybeans, wheat, fishmeal, vitamins and minerals, he said..

The 91.5 tonnes of corn is needed for an estimated one million broilers, four million game birds, 500,000 layers, 800,000 million ducks and geese and 400,000 pigs, Dr Decena said.

The provincial government has recently ordered the shipping out of GM corn brought into Negros Occidental, in compliance with an ordinance banning GM products in the province.

Dr Decena noted that Negros Occidental imports 100 per cent of its soybeans, sorghum and wheat meal, and 90 per cent of its corn needs for feeds, most of which are GM.

A meeting to address the feed problem a meeting with stakeholders is scheduled for later this week, he said. If stakeholders seek a moratorium on the GM ban, it will depend on the Office of the Governor, Dr Decena added.

Governor Isidro Zayco said the provincial government has to enforce the ordinance banning GMO products in Negros Occidental because it is duty-bound to do so, reports Visaya Daily Star. However, he said that stakeholders with objections may submit their position papers to the provincial government for consideration.


 

29 April 2009] The Philippine hog sector and the country's meat processing sector are at odds as to the implementation of the AFTA next year. At the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc (NFHFI) 18th Hog Convention and Trade Exhibits in Manila, NHFHI President Albert R.T. Lim reiterated his call for a five-year delay in the implementation of the AFTA saying that the local hog industry could face collapse in the light of stiff competition from its neighbouring countries like Thailand. On the other hand, the country's meat processors welcome the AFTA implementation, saying it would open export markets for the local meat processors and would also facilitate the importation of vital raw materials for their industry.

Thursday, April 30, 2009Print This Page
Philippines Province GM Feed Ban to Stay
PHILIPPINES - Despite opposition from livestock and poultry farmers, the ban of genetically modified (GM) products, including feed ingredients, remains in place in the province of Negros Occidental.



Despite concerns raised by hog raisers over the possible shortage in feeds for livestock and poultry, Negros Occidental Governor Isidro Zayco said they would continue to enforce the ban on GM corn, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Governor Zayco said on 29 April that the provincial government would stand by its resolve to enforce a ban on GM products.

But Rodney Ta-ala, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers in Negros Occidental, said the ban on GM products would kill the livestock and poultry industry in Negros Occidental.

Mr Ta-ala noted that other provinces did not ban GM products.

Governor Zayco, however, called as highly speculative the claim that the poultry and livestock industries will collapse if the GM ban is not lifted. He maintained that the fears were unfounded because GM-free corn was available to meet the feed requirement of the industry.

He cited the report of Negros Occidental provincial agriculturist, Igmedio Tabianan, that there were available sources of GM-free corn in Bukidnon.

There will be no collapse of the poultry and livestock industry if they just import available non-GM corn, Mr Tabianan said. He added that organic farmers of Bukidnon could provide Negros Occidental 1,000 tons of GM-free corn a day until the end of June.

After June, he said the Bukidnon organic farmers would have 900,000 tons of hybrid corn available.

Businessmen know where to access GM-free corn if they wanted but they insisted on GM corn because of its high fructose content that enabled the faster fattening of livestock and poultry, Tabianan said.

But Mr Ta-ala maintained that Tabianan's claim that there was adequate GM-free corn for feeds available to be brought into Negros Occidental was wrong since they needed 915 tons of corn a day.

He also noted that the GM ban was in conflict with the food security programme of the Negros Occidental provincial government.

While the provincial government promoted livestock raising in Negros Occidental at a fair last month, it is killing the livestock industry because of the ban on GM corn, Mr Ta-ala told Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Governor Zayco recently ordered that about five shipments of allegedly GM corn intended for feeds be shipped out of Negros Occidental. However, he said they would amend the ordinance if those complaining against the ban could submit position papers showing that GM products were not harmful to the health of people and those opposed to GM agree with them.

Mr Tabianan earlier said that there was no conclusive evidence that GM products affect humans but research showed that GM food tested on rats has caused inflation of kidneys and increased blood sugar. The GM ban also provided Negrense farmers an opportunity to produce more corn needed for poultry and livestock in the province, he added.

[29 April 2009] US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead an agribusiness trade and investment mission to the Philippines in May, said U.S. Agricultural Counselor Emiko Purdy at the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc (NFHFI) 18th Hog Convention and Trade Exhibits in Manila. Ms Purdy said the will seek to promote trade and investment opportunities particularly in the fisheries, livestock genetics, meat and poultry, dairy products, agricultural machineries and equipment, fertiliser, processed goods, beverages and biofuels sector. Two-way trade of agricultural products between the Philippines and the U.S. reached almost USD 3 billion in 2008, up 44% from 2007's USD 2 billion.

[1 May 2009] Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has directed the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to closely monitor swine handlers and other people in close contact with swine farms to detect the possible presence of the H1N1 virus now causing illness and even death among humans in various countries. Mr Yap said that the BAI would have to immediately report to the DOH any illness exhibited by animal handlers and other people in close contact with swine farms. He also directed the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) to step up surveillance work with focus on monitoring movements of hogs and pork products and preventing the entry of sick pigs or “double dead” meat in the human food chain.

Philippines to lift ban on imported meat products
[8 May 2009] Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the temporary ban on importation of pork meat products will be lifted after international authorities clarified that A (H1N1) does not come from pigs. The only exception will be Canada which has confirmed that some pigs have been infected by humans. Mr Yap is waiting for information from the Office Internationale des Epizooties before lifting the ban on imports from Canada.

Misamis hog prices down by 50 percent/ May 6, 2009
LITO RULONA

MISAMIS Oriental––Provincial board members have sounded alarm bells over how the swine flu scare has affected the prices of hogs in the province.

"Halos magulang na lang sa pangayo ang pagpalit sa baboy didto sa bukid kay hinay na ang halin sa karneng baboy sa kamerkadu-han," said Peter Unabia, a member of the provincial board.

The provincial board's agriculture committee said the buying price of hogs in the province plunged from P30 to P15 a kilo.

He said meat vendors also complained because sales went down by 50 percent.
Provincial board member Wayne Militante said the scare has adversely affected the local market despite information campaigns being carried out by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The health department, for instance, stopped calling it ``swine flu.'' The department now refers to it as the H1N1 virus.

Militante said there is nothing to fear since no case of H1N1 infection has been reported here.
The outbreak of the swine flu originated in Mexico but confirmed cases in other parts of the world have markedly increased over the last few weeks.

Militante said the scare has also affected Gingoog City and neighboring towns where many people now opt to buy fish rather than pork.

Monday, May 11, 2009Print This Page
Temporary Ban on Canadian Pork Imports Lifted
PHILIPPINES - The Philippine government yesterday announced that a temporary ban on most Canadian pork imports has been lifted as pork consumption is proved not to transmit Influenza A H1N1 virus that has claimed more than 50 lives worldwide.



The lifting of the temporary suspension on pork imports from Canada followed the earlier government move to remove similar trade restrictions on the commodity originating from influenza affected zones in North America where the virus originated and where almost all human death cases were reported.

The Department of Agriculture said, however, pork products coming from Canadian province of Alberta will still be banned for flu concerns.

Davinio Catbagan, head of the department's animal industry bureau, said the swine farm in Alberta is still under quarantine although no pig mortality was reported there. Canada has reported 242 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death as of 06:00 GMT, 9 May, the World Health Organization said on its website.

The Philippines bought less than 5 per cent of its pork consumption demands from abroad, with Canada being the major source of origin for pork imports.

The Philippines has yet reported any suspected or confirmed Influenza A H1N1 case so far but has put 20 patients under close observation. Fifteen of them were safely discharged from the hospital.

LOCAL swine producers are feeling the crunch of the swine flu scare with dipping domestic pork demand, but expressed optimism on market improvement soon, an industry leader said.

This developed as Emilio V. Escobillo Jr., president of the South Cotabato Swine Producers Association (Socospa), also appeared upbeat as government animal experts are addressing concerns on another hog disease — the ebola reston virus — that obstructed the country’s pilot foreign pork shipment last December.

“There’s initial drop [on domestic pork meat demand] due to misconception,” Escobillo confirmed when sought about the effects of swine flu that killed people in Mexico, the United States and in other countries.

“The swine flu could not be transmitted [to humans] through eating of pork meat,” he added.

Cathy M. Romero, sales and marketing officer of Matutum Meat Packing Corp., said demand for pork meat also plunged but declined to attribute it to the swine flu scare.

Matutum Meat operates a P200 million modern swine slaughtering facility in neighboring Polomolok, South Cotabato. It distributes fresh and frozen cut pork meat products to the domestic market.

“Normally this season is lean in as far as pork meat consumption is concerned,” Romero said in a separate interview.

Both Romero and Escobillo did not say how much were the decline in pork meat volume from their buyers.

Matutum Meat, a sister company of Cebu-based Sunpride Foods Inc. which produces Holiday and Sunpride canned goods, is the only processing plant in the country accredited by Singapore to export pork meat products in the island-state.

Last December, cut pork meat products were to be transported to the Singapore when the Department of Agriculture (DA) stopped it due to the discovery of a strain of ebola virus in pig tissue samples coming from four swine farms in the provinces of Bulacan, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.

Escobillo said the Bureau of Animal Industry, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is testing hog farms in Mindanao for possible clearance from ebola reston to push forward the country’s foreign foray.

“The BAI promised to finish the ebola testing in three months,” he said.

The ebola reston virus, a subtype of Ebola, was discovered in the Philippines in 1989 among crab-eating macaques exported to the Hazleton Laboratories in Reston, Virginia. (BSS)

Source: Sun Star

Prospects have remained bright for our hog industry as two major initiatives are being worked out to boost export and domestic markets of our local pork products.

First is the impending entry of the Philippine pork products to export markets particularly Singapore. Second is the re-launching of the “Pork-in-a-Box” which aims to provide accessible and affordable meat products to Filipino consumers.

GEARING FOR EXPORT MARKET
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap is optimistic that Philippine meat products can make it in the export markets. Yap who recently visited the Nenita Quality Foods (NQF), a local meat producer in Davao City, was informed that the company is just awaiting for the final accreditation from the Singaporean government for its meat products to enter the Singapore market this year.


In support to the NQF and other local meat producers in the country, Yap has ordered the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) to issue as soon as possible appropriate guidelines and procedures for the accreditation of meat importers, exporters, brokers, traders, and handlers in preparation for meat exports and domestic distribution.

Yap issued an administrative order that would harmonize all procedures and safety nets to enhance the competitiveness of Philippine hog meat and meat products and to facilitate access to profitable export markets.

“This is a critical protocol for our international trading partners to have confidence on our meat products both in the export and domestic markets. We would like to show to the world that Philippine meat producers such as the NQF are now capable of producing world-class products for export,” Yap said.

“Mindanao and Visayas had been internationally declared as FMD-free areas and we would like to capitalize on this advantage,” Yap said adding that his visit and support to the NQF is a demonstration of how serious DA is in supporting private meat producers and in complying with the global standards for producers to enter the global market.

REVIVING “PORK-IN-A-BOX”
The DA is also putting a private sector-backed initiative involving mass production and sale of low-priced and high-quality chilled meat on a fast track by re-launching the “Pork-in-a-Box” program. This program aims to further increase accessibility of safe and hygienic pork products in the market.

The “Pork in a Box” was conceptualized in 2005 as a pork postproduction system that will ensure safety, economy, efficiency, and environmental soundness in the supply chain.

Yap said the program will eliminate transportation of live hogs since only carcass and cut products from Mindanao and Visayas will be transported to markets in Metro Manila.

Yap adds that this will minimize transport costs, provide easy access to quality meat cuts, reduce levels of middlemen and add-on cost in marketing pork products. The program will also help reduce disease occurrences because the transport and shipping of live animals would be minimized once the project is in full swing.

The “Pork-in-a-Box” would also involve sourcing of pork cuts from selected areas in Visayas and in Mindanao particularly in the cities of Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and General Santos.

Based on the observations of “Pork in a Box” players, the program has not taken off so well in the past primarily because consumers do not prefer chilled or frozen pork. With this, DA will identify and strengthen more markets, including supermarkets and institutions for the products. Communication and advocacy strategies will also be conducted for consumers to realize the advantages of cleaner, ‘ safer and cheaper meat products.

“Low-priced, mass-based and high quality are the key words that we should keep in mind in carrying out this project to make it more responsive to the call for food security and support the initiatives of private-sector stakeholders in modernizing the livestock and meat industry by promoting consumption of chilled meat,” Yap stressed.

This time, the program will promote sense of ownership among meat producers through their involvement in the whole supply chain. Yap said there is a need to perfect the supply chain so that fluctuating prices of basic goods such as pork will be stabilized.

“To stabilize supply, you have to take out all the insecurities. You have to assure [buyers and consumers on the] volume of supply, quality, and safety,” he added.’

Yap said that through the “Pork in a Box” program, DA’s goal of reducing prices of wage goods through enhanced production, more efficient logistics and improved retailing linkages would be realized.

These new agribusiness fronts being explored both by the government and the private sector if effectively carried out would work favorably both for the hog raisers and consumers.

Hog Raisers Seek Total Pork Import Ban
PHILIPPINES - A party-list congressman representing the livestock industry on Wednesday said the spread of the influenza A(H1N1) virus and pork importation are bringing down the country's hog industry.



AGAP Rep. Nicanor Briones told ABS-CBN's morning show "Umagang Kay Ganda" that compared to the period January to April 2007, the importation of pigs increased by 334 per cent during the same period this year.

Mr Briones said that in the first three months of the year alone, the country already imported 48 million kilos of pork.

"Small-time hog raisers would incur losses," the partylist congressman said, adding that the hog industry loses P2,000 to P3,000 for each pig.

Mr Briones said the Department of Agriculture (DA) should at least ban the importation of pigs from countries affected by H1N1 virus.

DA Secretary Arthur Yap, however, said the government cannot just ban the importation of pork, but promised that he would do everything to protect the country's P150-billion hog industry.

"We can’t just ban the importation of pork without valid reasons. Other export products of the Philippines would be affected," Mr Yap said.

Mr Yap explained that countries that would be affected by an unreasonable hog import ban might retaliate. He said the countries might stop the importation of goods from the Philippines, which will greatly affect the country's export industry.

The agriculture secretary added that the H1N1 virus is not a valid reason to ban pork.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the deadly flu cannot be acquired by eating pork. It said the virus is airborne and is transmitted from human to human.

The WHO's declaration pushed the DA to lift import bans imposed on pork products from Mexico and the United States.

Mr Briones, however, cited Switzerland's total import ban of live hogs and pork products. "How come we can’t do the same?" Briones said.

Mr Yap, meanwhile, said that he would meet with the hog industry's stakeholders before acting on Briones's request.

"I love the [hog] industry, I will do everything to protect it," Mr Yap said. He added if the local industry needs help they could contact him.

As in any enterprise, swine meat production is most profitable when resources are used wisely. These resources include feed and labor. As it is, feed costs make up 60% to 70% of the total costs of production and it is prudent to make use of every gram of it. Any venture to reduce feed costs without sacrificing the yield will result in highly favorable returns.

This is where FCE or Food Conversion Efficiency comes in. It is the measure used to show how much. feed is needed for body tissue yield. This is the standard used to measure the production system’s performance. FCE is simply defined as the number of kilograms needed to produce one kilogram of live weight gain.

However, the best FCE does not necessarily equate to the best recourse for the farm. Higher feed quality most often converts to higher body tissue.

In principle, higher feed quality means higher intake, this means better conversion rate. But producers must keep in mind that higher quality feed also means higher feed cost. As such, producers must find the right balance of feed quality and conversion rate to attain optimum profitability for the
operation.

Whether the operation has annual or biannual output, producers should best keep in mind the following profitability equation (Cost per Unit of Gain):

Total costs to run operation for a period / Total weight sold = Cost per unit of gain

When the Cost per unit of gain is compared to returns per unit of sale, profit or loss of the operation can then be derived. Producers are often inclined to cut expenses in operation, especially during this time of economic slump. However, any cuts in production expenditures also affects the operation as a whole, so farmers are best advised to consider the factors on which they cut back. The operation may be able to save money on the short term but may suffer devastating losses in the long run. Again, it’s all a matter of balance. It all boils down to the farmer, and his ability to balance the scale of management and profitability.

Livestock and Poultry Inventory by Year and Animal Type
Year    Hog
2004    12,561.69
2005    12,139.69
20o6    13,046.68
2007    13,459.33
2008    13,701.02

Source : Bureau of Agricultral Statistics(BAS)
Unit : In thousand heads

Annual Farmgate Prices of Agricultural Commodities by Commodity and year
2006     2007     2008
Hogs Upgraded for Slaughter      69.30   71.28    81.08
Source : Bureau of Agricultral Statistics(BAS)
Unit: (peso per kilogram (or as indicated)

Annual Retail Prices of Agricultural Commodities by Commodity and Year
2004     2005     2006     2007    2008
Pork Lean Meat            132.43  139.28  138.44  139.32  156.20
Pork Meat with bones  116.89  124.09  123.35  124.96  141.56
Pork Pata (front)            95.49  101.85  102.32  103.58  117.85
Source : Bureau of Agricultral Statistics(BAS)
Unit: [peso per kilogram (or as indicated)]

Producer Price Index for Agriculture, 2005-2007
2005     2006     2007
Philippines Hog  173.65   167.95   173.00
Unit: Index