Animal feed producers call for halt on corn, soybean meal exports
The Thai Feed Mill Association wrote to the Department of Internal Trade, the Commerce Ministry and the prime minister on Friday, calling them to reconsider government policies allowing the export of corn and soybean meal.
The association’s president Pornsil Patcharintanakul said imports of animal feed are unstable because many countries like Hungary, Egypt, Indonesia and Argentina have stopped exporting to maintain their own food sustainability as the Russia-Ukraine war rages on.
He said 95 per cent of soybean and soybean meal required for animal feed is imported and if Thailand were to continue exporting corn, it would need to import a lot of materials to compensate for it.
Pornsil added that the government is continuing to allow the export of corn and soybean meal even though there is a shortage of these two materials. He also said this policy was unfair for animal feed manufacturers as regulations require them to purchase soybean meal locally.
Citing reports from the Customs Department, he said Thailand had exported more than 93,615 tonnes of corn and up to 103,091 tonnes of soybean meal last year.
"If this policy continues, especially when the imports are in a crisis, the price of corn and soybean meal will continue surging,” he warned.
“Hence, the association calls on the government to temporarily suspend the export of corn and soybean meal until the crisis is resolved.”
Pornsil said the Thai Feed Mill Association has also written a separate letter to the Commerce and Interior ministries asking them to ensure there is no hoarding of corn by middlemen.
He said this move was prompted by the fact that the association’s members are unable to buy corn even though they have been complying with the Commerce Ministry’s regulation of reporting animal feed production and corn purchase, usage and storage on the 10th day of each month.
“This crisis is affecting every sector, so we call on the government to tackle this issue as soon as possible,” he said.