Poultry operators and hog raisers have been struggling over the past several months after the prices of animal feeds skyrocketed by 100 percent.
This problem will be over soon.
Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Ignacio Dela Cruz disclosed yesterday that animal feeds manufactured in the Philippines can now enter the CNMI.
Animal feed products from Sarimanok Feeds Company based in Bulacan, a province north of Manila, have been granted conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Dela Cruz said there are 13 feed products for chicken, one of which can also be fed to cows and goats, and three for pigs that are now allowed to enter the CNMI after the ingredients were screened by federal authorities just recently.
He said these will be the first batch of animal feeds that can be imported from the Philippines.
Although there is no federally approved slaughterhouse in the CNMI to allow livestock farmers to sell their meat products in local markets, many are still earning a good amount of money from hogs and chicken.
Farm animals grown locally are sold alive and help subsistence farmers cope with the islands’ worsening economy.
There are poultries and pig pens on Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The biggest poultry can be found on Capital Hill which sells eggs to local markets.
