Chinese grow maize for export to China
A Chinese group in the Philippines has plans to plant a million hectares of hybrid maize to export to China, according to Philippine Exporters Confederation (PEC) said.
PEC did not give further details on the project, but elaborated that the trend in agribusiness was for farmers to partner with big food processors like San Miguel Foods and Vitarich, which are searching for contract growing partners.
“Unless and until the farming sector gets modernized and its productivity increased, the Philippines will remain a third world country in a neighbourhood of economic dragons,” said PEC spokesman Ortiz-Luis, who is also chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said the farm sector grew by an average of 2.8% a year from 1994 to 2004, barely above the population growth rate.
He said it failed to progress because farming is treated only as a source of subsistence, not as a business enterprise.
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