By Mary Grace Padin
Local corn farmers said on Tuesday the new rules on genetically modified (GM) crops recently rolled out by the government will allow them to boost their output and tap the export market.
Philippine Maize Federation Inc. (PhilMaize) President Roger Navarro said the approval of Joint Department Circular (JDC) 1 from five agencies, which regulates the propagation of GM crops, assured farmers that they will be able to produce more corn.
“With the new joint department circular for biotechnology, local corn farmers have better chances of tapping the export market, because we will continue reaping higher yields with Bt [Bacillus thuringiensis] corn,” Navarro said in a statement.
Corn farmers and traders have been asking the government, particularly the National Food Authority (NFA), to allow them to ship out corn.
The NFA has to certify that there is a surplus of corn before farmers could export their produce.
PhilMaize said allowing farmers to tap the export market would help ensure that their income would not fall drastically, particularly when farm-gate prices are low.
Last year the country’s corn production in 2015 declined by 3.24 percent to 7.52 million metric tons (MMT), from 7.77 MMT in 2014, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Navarro said the decline in corn output could be attributed to the dry spell brought about by El Niño. He said some areas, especially Northern Mindanao, have been badly hit by the drought.
Northern Mindanao is the second-biggest corn-producing region next to Region 2 in Luzon.
Earlier, Navarro told the BusinessMirror the issuance of JDC 1 is a “good development” not only for the corn industry, but for the feeds and livestock sector, as well.
He said about 70 percent of the yellow corn produced by the Philippines goes to feed mills, while 30 percent is used for food, such as oil and starch.