THE government can consider buying corn from farmers who lost millions of pesos worth of crops due to Typhoons Pedring and Quiel as a form of assistance, the Philippine Maize Federation (Philmaize) said on Thursday.

“In areas where corn was damaged by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel, I think the National Food Authority [NFA] should help farmers [by buying] their produce,” said Philmaize President Roger Navarro in a text message.

Figures from the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed that of the P12 billion worth of crops damaged by the two typhoons, losses incurred by corn farmers in Luzon reached P522 million.

Navarro disclosed that the NFA has not bought corn from farmers as earlier planned by the government. The government announced that it was eyeing to buy as much as 200,000 metric tons (MT) of yellow and white corn from farmers until the end of the year.

Philmaize noted, however, that prices are currently favorable to farmers. The national government through the NFA buys rice and corn from farmers as a way of stabilizing prices.

The government will buy yellow corn at a support price of P13 per kilogram, of which P0.70 will go to farmer cooperatives. White corn will also be bought at a total support price of P13.70, of which P0.70 will go to farmer cooperatives.

Last month the group disclosed that they may be hard pressed to produce more than 7 million metric tons of corn this year due to the due to the dry spell which hit Cagayan Valley or Region 2, a major corn-producing area in the country.

Cagayan Valley was also among the most severely hit areas in the country and suffered losses due to the onslaught of Typhoons Pedring and Quiel.

Philmaize also thumbed down the proposal of hog raisers to import corn at zero duty for six months.

“Dapat mahalin natin ang magmamais. While we cannot prevent [hog raisers] from importing, they should pay the right taxes and import,” said Navarro.

Also, the shipment of around 200,000 MT of feed wheat until the end of the year will only worsen problems for corn farmers if the government would allow the duty-free importation of corn, Philmaize said.

On Tuesday hog raisers belonging to the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. (Propork) asked the government to allow them to import around 50,000 MT of corn at zero duty for six months, citing the increase in the price of the produce as basis.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala dated Oct. 14, Propork President Edwin G. Chen said the move will prevent the losses that may be incurred by hog raisers who are currently reeling from the devastation of recent typhoons.

“As of [the week ending Oct. 14], the average price of corn has already reached P15 per kilogram, significantly higher than the average price of P12 per kilo which we usually pay when we purchase corn used in our hog farms,” said Chen in his letter.