Rep: Milled soya supply essential for affordable pork prices during the holidays

As Christmas season fast approaches, a party-list representative said the cost of milled soya must be checked in order to ensure that the price of pork — an in-demand item during the holidays — will also be controlled. “We’ve already asked the [Department of Agriculture] to look into the demand-supply equation of milled soya, because a number of swine growers have complained of difficulty in obtaining the vital feed input from importers,” LPG Marketers’ Association (LPGMA) party-list Rep. Arnel Ty said in a statement on Thursday. “Swine growers are concerned that [milled soya] importers might be unduly holding on to their stocks in anticipation of a sustained rally in soya prices,” Ty said. Ty is a member of the House committee on trade and industry and also a supporter of the local swine industry. The Philippines depends on soya bean imports for milled soya, which Ty says accounts for around 25 percent of most swine feed, being an rich source in protein. According to the statement, milled soya prices have increased to P36 per kilo from P27 per kilo in August, which in turn was up from P22 in July. The US drought is partly responsible for the increasing prices of soya beans and other agricultural products in the global market. “Should milled soya prices continue to climb, this surely impact local swine growers, and ultimately adversely affect pork consumers,” Ty said. He suggested that extra shipments of milled soya should be imported in the country to act as a buffer. “If necessary, extra shipments of milled soya should be brought in to address potential shortages. This way, swine producers will have adequate supply of the feed ingredient all the time,” he said. Ty said the issue was already raised with DA Secretary Proceso Alcala during the first day of the DA’s budget hearing in Congress, and said the Secretary vowed to conduct an inquiry on the matter. GMA News Online tried to contact Alcala for more information but one of his staff members said the Secretary was still busy with the second day of the DA’s budget hearing. — BM, GMA News