High feed prices hit Thai pig farmers

Increasing commodity prices, particularly crops used to produce alternative
energy, have created trouble for livestock raisers, Yanyong Phuangrach,
director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said. Prices for soybean meal
has jumped almost 50%, and for maize almost 10% compared to earlier this
year.

Pig farmers
The costs borne by pig farmers have
increased Bt500 (€ 11.24) per 100kg pig. The slowing economy has reduced
consumers’ purchasing power for pork by 15-20%, while the Internal Trade
Department has frozen the price for pigs at the farm door at Bt45 (€ 1.01) per
kg. There are about 117,000 pig farmers in Thailand, and the government should
allow them to import cheaper feeds from neighbouring countries, such as Laos,
Yanyong said.

Yanyong also called for pig farmers to decrease their
production costs as the price of commodities is likely to gradually increase.
One of the strategies to lower farmers’ costs is to balance supply in line with
the demands of the market to prevent the pig price
dropping.

Freeze prices
The Thai Animal-Feed
Manufacturers’ Association has agreed to freeze its prices to help pig and other
livestock farmers as well. Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, president of the
association, said despite the trend of rising prices for animal-feed raw
material because of high demand for fuel crops, the association would try to
keep the price frozen as long as possible.

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