By Puerto Prinsesa City, Palawan- The Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) is seeing the good prospect of corn in the support the livestock production of the province of Palawan.
Dr. Romeo Cabungcal, provincial agriculturist said that corn is very important and one of the main ingredients for the products including feeds for the poultry industry.
He said that they are also gearing up the corn production to support the needs of the local market and the livestock production.
“Maganda ang production ng corn natin ngayon. Maganda ang prospect ng corn sa atin and I think maganda din ang presyo ng corn ngayon,” Cabungcal said.
(“Our corn production is good now. Corn is a good prospect for us and I think its price is good, too.”)
“Ang [purpose] natin d’yan ay more on animal feeds para i-support ang potential ng province for livestock production which corn is the main ingredient. Kung gusto mo kasing pataasin ang isang industry [which is the livestock production] ay ito ay patataasin mo rin [ang corn production],” he said.
(“Our purpose for that is more animal feeds we can support the province’s potential for livestock production, of which corn is the main ingredient. If you want to raise the standards of an industry, which is livestock production, you’ll have to raise corn production as well.”)
As of now, Cabungcal said that corn has a local market for poultry feeds products and not yet exporting products.
“Local ang market natin sa corn, ang iba ay lumalabas din naman pero hindi natin masasabi na nage-export tayo kasi mayron dito na namimili at nagpo-process ng corn para gawing feeds at mayron din tayong local consumption,” he said.
He said there are 150 hectares of a cornfield is in Barangay Aramaywan in Narra town that can be considered as the large field in the province as of now.
“Mataas ngayon ang production ng corn, nandoon kami nakaraan sa Aramaywan sa Narra noong field day. mayroon doon 150 hectares na corn field, magaganda. Lahat talaga ng dadaanan mo ay puro corn. So far, ito ngayon ang malaking area natin sa buong Palawan,” he said.
Recently, the National Corn Program (NCP) said that it is halfway to achieving its 8.219 million metric tons harvest target this year.
Department of Agriculture (DA) NCP director Lorenzo Caranguian said in a virtual presser that NCP’s objectives is to attain a 95 percent sufficiency level in yellow corn and 85 percent sufficiency level in white in 2021.
In 2019, the Philippines’ top five producing regions contributed 79.66 percent of total yellow corn production and 73.49 percent of total white corn production.
