MANILA, Philippines?The agricultural alliance of hog raisers and poultry operators are asking the government to bring back the zero duty for feedwheat under Executive Order No. 765 to enable local feed millers to compete against imported goods that come from highly subsidized countries.

The alliance is composed of officials of the Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc., the National Federation of Egg Producers of the Philippines Inc. (NFEPP), United Broiler Raisers Association, and the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. In a briefing, the alliance said it was seeking the implementation of EO 765 for six more months.

EO 765 expired on June 21. The government has yet to extend the order although reports indicated that the government was willing to keep the zero duty but only for milling wheat, not feedwheat.

?Zero tariff on feedwheat is a good stabilizer of corn prices. It would offer our hog and poultry farmers protection from corn price spikes which can come any time since our corn sector is not yet very efficient,? NFHFI chair Renato Eleria said in an interview.

Eleria said the tariff-free feedwheat would allow hog and poultry raisers to realize some savings that would, in turn, enable them to keep prices of pork and chicken at reasonable levels.