Bangkok,, The Animal Feed Producers Association plans to discuss with the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture. Please expedite the problem of the lack of animal feed ingredients. This is because of the measure not to buy corn from burned plots. It is expected that this will result in the inability to purchase 2-2.5 million tons of animal feed corn. It is proposed to unlock import controls 3:1 by the association and guarantee the purchase price of domestic animal feed corn from unburned plots at 9.70 baht/kg. Mr. Pornsin Patcharintanakul The president of the Thai Animal Feed Producers Association said that next week he will meet with the Department of Internal Trade. Ministry of Commerce and Department of Livestock Development Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives To discuss measures to solve the shortage of animal feed ingredients and alleviate the cost of animal feed ingredients. Previously, a letter had been sent to the Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade informing of the forecast. The amount of animal feed corn from burned plots that cannot be purchased to produce animal feed is approximately 2 - 2.5 million tons, according to the government's policy to solve the problem of toxic dust PM2.5. Later, the Ministry of Agriculture The Department of Agriculture has issued an announcement regarding the criteria, methods, and conditions for requesting certification for the production process of unburned dry corn kernels. To reduce the problem of PM2.5 dust (PM 2.5 Free Plus) and the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (AMC) held a meeting of the Academic Committee to consider agricultural product standards. Regarding crop production without burning Starting with animal feed corn products. The goal is to become a mandatory standard in the future. The Thai Animal Feed Producers Association agrees with the government's policy. But such operations There must be supporting measures so as not to affect the amount of animal maize that will be used in animal fe ed production. It is estimated that the corn that cannot be purchased will reach 2 - 2.5 million tons from 2 main parts: Thai animal feed corn that has been burned and has to stop purchasing is approximately 10-20% of the planted area. There will be 0.5 - 1 million tons of corn that cannot be purchased. Animal feed corn imported from neighboring countries will be reduced or may not be imported at all because the imported corn must first be proven that it has not been burned, causing the average annual import volume of 1.5 million tons to disappear. The association has been informed by members about the difficulty in procuring raw materials. Currently, the prices of domestic and imported animal feed raw materials have increased. As a result, the burden of costs in producing animal feed has increased. The corn cultivation situation in Thailand tends to decrease due to drought. Some farmers have turned to growing cassava and sugarcane. In addition, planting was delayed by more than 1 month, from mid-April to the end of May. As a result, the produce will be available to the market in mid-September. Meanwhile, the war caused the price of wheat to increase. Soybean seeds and soybean meal were affected by flooding in Brazil, the main producing country. combined with the weakening currency Including high freight rates. Causing the price to increase, affecting the cost of producing animal feed. From the above situation, middlemen saw an opportunity to hoard products for speculation. Even though the current purchasing price of corn has increased to more than 11.20 baht/kg, there is no supply to the factory. The association views that if this is the case, the price of corn in June - August will increase much more. The farmers do not receive benefits because of this period. The produce is no longer in the hands of farmers. The association proposes that the Ministry of Commerce cancel the measure of buying 3 parts of domestic corn for every 1 part imported of wheat or the 3 : 1 measure and canceling the corn import quota under the WTO framework in order to have quantities from other sources to fill the lost part. go Importing these two raw materials is considered an appropriate choice because they are imported from distant countries and do not cause PM2.5 dust or smog across the border into Thailand. Therefore, it encourages animal feed producers to implement a policy of not buying animal feed corn from burned plots without having an impact on the livestock sector. as well as easing the problem of costs of animal feed materials which are currently increasing. Mr. Phonsilp said that the cancellation of the 3:1 wheat import measure and the corn import quota will not affect farmers who grow animal feed corn in the country. This is because the Thai Animal Feed Producers Association will cooperate in guaranteeing a minimum corn purchase price for farmers who grow corn. Only insurance conditions must be added for specific plots that can be proven. Only not burned The guaranteed price for animal feed corn in 2024 that will be coope rated is 9.70 baht/kilogram and the purchase price from farmers is 9.00 baht/kilogram with an increase of 14.5% at the factory in Bangkok - metropolitan area as has been discussed with the Department of Agriculture. Internal trade continues In addition, it is proposed to check corn stocks of merchants to reduce speculative hoarding during this period, which is not yet the main planting season. So that association members can procure corn for use in production and also request consideration and approval to adjust the selling price (price list) for animal feed manufacturers as requested due to the trend of raw material costs increasing. Source: Thai News Agency