Thai feed mills agree not to buy corn from burnt fields
The Thai Feed Mill Association (TFMA) has announced it reached an agreement with a group of livestock industry organisations to not buy corn from farmers burning their fields. The decision comes amid a severe shortage of corn on the market, possibly making it hard for feed mills to honour its recent commitment.
Thai farmers practice field burning at the start of the year, between January and April, the period commonly known in the country as the burning season. Farmers set fires on their land to dispose of waste or clear weeds from their fields ahead of the planting season.
Detrimental health effects
One of the byproducts of the burning is PM2.5, a fine particulate matter associated with a number of detrimental health effects. The commitment from the Thai Feed Mill Association comes from the Clean Air Act, approved in 2023. Under this act, Thai lawmakers hope to dramatically reduce PM2.5 pollution in the coming years.
The Thai Feed Mill Association plans to hold a meeting with the Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to discuss the organisation’s contribution to the government environmental-protecting campaign, Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, the association’s chairman said.
Feed mills and livestock farmers are ready to cooperate, though the self-restrictions on buying corn from burnt fields could add pressure on the market.
Not enough corn
Patcharintanakul estimated that Thailand’s feed industry lacks around 4 million tonnes of corn. The self-restrictions are expected to impact the supply of 2 million tonnes, including 500,000 tonnes of domestic corn production and around 1.5 million tonnes of imports.
TFMA calls for the government to remove all import restrictions on corn to facilitate its import to the country in larger quantities.
Thailand’s corn requirements tend to grow as the livestock industry rebounds following the turbulence of the last few years. Domestic feed consumption is estimated at around 8 million tonnes per year, and production at 5 million tonnes. The gap is filled by imports from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
Import restrictions on the agenda
Earlier this year, the Thai government revealed that it was considering banning corn imports from Myanmar and Laos, where burning fields are common. As a result, the northern Thai provinces bordering these countries suffer from toxic air pollution.
Good Agricultural Practice
The TFMA has long advocated for the adoption of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards in the country to tackle the problem of field burning. If implemented, GAP would discourage farmers from burning fields and eventually lower costs along the value chain in the feed industry.
