With the African Swine Fever continuously affecting pork supply in the country, chicken and egg are being considered to supplement the demand for meat and alternative protein sources.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority report, the country suffered a 12.4 percent decrease in the total swine population in the third quarter of 2021 from the same period of 2020. Meanwhile, a 2.4 percent increase was recorded on the total chicken population, wherein the inventory of broiler chicken and layer chicken grew by 5.5 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively.

To sustain this growth, the National Banner Program Committee on Poultry, Livestock and Corn organized a consultation to finalize the industry roadmaps of Broiler Chicken and the Layer Chicken and Egg on January 20, 2022.

Broiler Chicken Industry Roadmap

During the meeting, the importance of corn production on both broiler and layer production was highlighted as it is the main component of feeds.

Given this, National Corn Program (NCP) Director Milo Delos Reyes requested both roadmaps to indicate the corn and feed requirements for incorporation in the targets of NCP and the Yellow Corn Industry Roadmap. 

A concern was also raised on higher prices of chicken in Metro Manila compared to the prices in Visayas and Mindanao. It was suggested to create a database on chicken to determine the volume and types of broiler produced by various raisers in Luzon and use it to assess price trends. 

The Bureau of Animal Industry responded that an initial database is already being developed and is for further expansion of data inputs. It was agreed that specific actions on this matter will be added to the roadmap.

However, the Committee emphasized the need to address fluctuating chicken prices, including the low farm gate and high retail prices, through the hub-spoke approach wherein stakeholders across the value chain can work together for a sustainable model.

Private sector-partners also noted that there is a projection deficit between the demand and the supply/production in the roadmap. Specific actions with timelines to close this gap and achieve long-term local sufficiency were requested to be included in the roadmap.

On the other hand, industry players requested for all stakeholders to be continuously updated on the results of various research and development studies on broiler in order to fully optimize their benefits.

Layer and Egg Chicken Industry Roadmap

One of the issues raised during the meeting was the egg supply shortage in Visayas and Mindanao, particularly in Davao, due to logistical impediments. 

It was noted that the Roadmap Development Team already included how they will address this concern in the roadmap and actions being taken by the government and industry players.

Currently, the layer and egg industry is part of the Zero Hunger Program and is collaborating with the Department of Science and Technology to ramp up the integration of eggs, both in ready-to-eat form and powdered form, in the feeding program of government offices. 

The target date for the presentation of the Broiler and the Layer and Egg Commodity Industry Roadmaps to the Department of Agriculture Management Committee is in the first week of February 2022. | JCL