MANILA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is seeking to import 300,000 tons of corn to cover a shortfall in the domestic supply caused by El Nino dry spell and to prepare for the expected "dramatic" growth of local hog and poultry sectors, a government official said on Tuesday.
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the Philippines is already seeking the approval of the Department of Finance to facilitate the importation of the corn.
"The DA is also seeking the approval of the Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez for the importation of 300,000 metric tons of corn at lower tariffs to fill up the shortfall caused by El Nino on the country feed crops," Pinol said in a statement.
Pinol did not specify the tariff target for the corn import.
Moreover, Pinol added the DA will plant an additional 100,000 hectares of corn and another 100,000 hectares of sorghum this year to support the country's growing poultry and hog industry to further boost domestic livestock feed supplies.
According to the Philippine state weather bureau, some provinces in the Philippines are experiencing "below norm to way below normal rainfall" due to El Nino, a warming of waters of the Pacific Ocean that often causes hot, dry weather in this Southeast Asian country.
The Philippines corn output in the first quarter in 2019 contracted by 2 percent from a year earlier to 2.43 million tonnes because of the dry spell.
