Mr. Sittiphan Thanakiatphinyo, President of the National Swine Raisers Association, urged the Ministry of Commerce to revise the pricing structure of animal feed ingredients because it has resulted in high animal farming costs in Thailand. The cost structure of pig production in Thailand has 65-70% of the cost coming from animal feed ingredients, which are under the policy supervision of the Ministry of Commerce, which are very expensive, including protein crops such as soybean meal and animal feed corn.
"Soybean meal has been marked up with excessive profits, causing Thai animal feed protein ingredients to be the most expensive in the world, including Thai corn, which is more than 10 baht/kg. Meanwhile, international corn prices have continuously weakened, averaging only 5-6 baht/kg. This is the main reason why the Minister of Commerce should look into the pricing structure of animal feed ingredients, which has been untouchable for 7 years, with the 3:1 measure that has continued to cause corn prices to be high and is questionable," said Mr. Sittiphan.
Also stating that these problems are major problems that farmer groups have been demanding all along. It is expected that the small-scale farmers may use legal measures, such as filing a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) soon, regarding misconduct in public office due to not receiving an answer or resolution in this matter.
Previously, Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, Minister of Commerce, raised questions about the pork smuggled from Brazil. Why is it so cheap, even though there are under-the-table fees along the way and it is sold in the Thai market, but it is cheaper than domestic pork? The truth is that the cost of raw materials for animal feed in Brazil is very low. The association believes that the truth is that the cost of raw materials for animal feed in Brazil is much lower than in Thailand.
Mr. Duen Den Yimyam, President of the Northeast Small-scale Pig Farmers Association, said that the government should consider adjusting the animal feed policy to reduce production costs for farmers. If this problem is resolved, it is believed that farmers can achieve an average cost of 60 baht/kg, which will definitely be able to compete with Brazil. Importantly, Thai pork is of good quality and free from red meat accelerators. And fresher than pork from Brazil.
"The government should look at it from the other side. Instead of importing pork from Brazil or selling Thai pork as cheap as Brazil, it should promote Thai pig farmers to produce for export like Brazil. This will be a sustainable solution. In addition to bringing in money, it will also help Thai people consume pork at a reasonable price, helping to reduce the cost of living for the people in line with the government's goals. It also helps to grow the Thai economy from meat exports," said Mr. Duenden.
