Poultry sector seeks increased agri investments
By AMY R. REMO
Philippine Daily Inquirer(September 19, 2007)

         THE POULTRY SECTOR has urged the government to invest heavily  in the production of corn, coconut oil and molasses to address the rising cost of commodities.

         In a joint position paper submitted to Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, the United Broiler Raisers' Association and the National Egg Boards esplained that "with the rise of China, India and Russia, there has been an upward trend in the prices of commodities, both agricultural and industrial."

        "On the one hand, this is a threat because it increases the costs of feed inputs like soya, amino acids, choline, toxin binders and other feed additives," it said.  "On hte other hand, it is also an opportunity becuase the prices of competing chicken products have also been rising."

        But for such trends to become an opportunity for Philippine poultry industry, there must be greater investments in agriculture.

        The UBRA and Egg Boards aslo said there was need to extend the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

        ACEF, under R.A. 8178, is set to expire at the end of the year.

        "The ACEF can be an additional war chest fot the Agriculture secretary to target specific provinces or regions that could give the nation fastest and highest returns in terms of production," paper said.

        The ACEF can be tapped for irrigation, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest equipment abd research and development.

        UBRA and EggBoard said in the paper that if both the government and the private sector address these concerns, it will benefit not only the Philippine poultry sector but also its allied sectors such as corn, coco oil, molasses, veterinary pharmaceuticals and equipment manufacturers.