DA: Bt corn acceptability in CL rising due to high profit
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Department of Agriculture (DA) here announced that the acceptability of the genetically modified (GM) crop Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn has been rising due to its superior yield and high profitability for farmers.
DA Central Luzon Regional Corn Coordinator Edwin Paningbatan said that the robust acceptance ofBt corn is driven by good sales and the ever growing poultry and livestock industry in Central Luzon that has grown dependent on local Bt corn as material for poultry feeds. Bt corn, which is mainly used as raw material for animal feeds, now fetches for P15 per kilo in Central Luzon.
Second only to rice, corn is among the most important crops in the country having both commercial and industrial use. Its production alone is a major industry for the country’s agricultural sector and its allied industries that depend on the production and distribution of corn and its other by-products.
“Last year it was only P10 per kilo, now buying stations are taking in corn for P15 per kilo and that is not even dried cornbut corn fresh out of the harvest,” Paningbatan said, adding that such price is way higher than the National Food Administration’s floor price of P7 per kilo for corn.
The good pricing is mainly driven by good production and the ever growing demand for corn according to Paningbatan.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has reported that the country achieved a 103 percent sufficiency for yellow corn in 2017.
In the PSA’s Yellow Corn-Feed Supply and Demand Estimates, covering the period January to December 2017, Filipino corn farmers posted a gross production of 5.811-million metric tons with a 1.07 percent post-harvest loss for a net local production of 5.749-million metric tons.
Paningbatan said that just this first semester, a .5 percent increase in production was recorded for corn in Central Luzon. Corn is planted in Central Luzon provinces with Tarlac, accounting for at least 35 to 45 percent of the regional production, followed by Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.
Bt corn was first introduced in Central Luzon in Tarlac. From there, Bt corn planting spread to different provinces. From the initial 300 hectares of land devoted to corn production, this rose to 400,000 hectares for the whole region as of the current DA estimates.
Most of the Bt corn produce end up in the buying stations and feed millers in Central Luzon. Some 45 percent of the of the country’s feed mill output comes from Central Luzon. Pampanga alone hosts some of the biggest feed mills in the country.
This vital position of CL assures the further cultivation of Bt corn. In Pampanga, contract growers cultivate Bt corn in large hectares of land Mexico, Santa Ana, Arayat and Magalang towns. The said towns provide the good soil condition needed for growing corn aside from the fact that feed mills are located near or within these towns.
Cost of production
If planted properly, Bt corn potential maximum yield is 17 tons per hectare through precision planting.
Paningbatan said that the cost of production usually hits 45,000 to 50,000per hectare.
In the past, farmers would have to produce some 4.5 metric tons per hectare to break even on the expenses. Paningbatan said that the regional Bt corn performances is from 7 to 14 metric tons, a far cry from the non-Bt corn varieties used in the past.
San Manuel and Moncada in Tarlac alone produce some 12 metric tons, respectively. Bt corn yield assures double and even triple return of investment. Such is the economic potential of Bt corn that some 35, 000 farmers in Central Luzon are now engaged in Bt corn cultivation.
A study conducted by the foundation Sikap/Strive Inc. said that in 2015 alone, some 702, 000 hectares were devoted to Bt corn production in the Philippines. The estimated microeconomic impact of GM corn technology in the country is estimated at P40, 241 million.