P50-B fighting cock industry to grow by 20%, says group

The P50-billion Philippine game fowl industry will grow by 20 percent in this year, the foremost group involved in the business said Sunday. “After years of importing parent stocks and breeding excellent game fowls [from the US], the Philippines is now considered the mecca of the game fowl industry," said Manny Berbano, vice president of the 5,000-member Federation of Gamefowl Breeders Inc. “Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are now asking how we can export game fowls to them," Berbano said. Annually, the industry has 30 to 40 million game cocks, 10 to 12 million of which are groomed for derbies, Berbano said. The volume of game fowls pushed multinational companies to invest in feeds, vitamins, and equipment in the country, he added. Berbano said the industry is now projecting that vitamin suppliers for game fowls would grow by 50 percent and the formulated feeds manufacturers by at least 15 percent. In 2002, the government lifted the restrictions imposed on imported game fowls for breeding and international derby in compliance with the free trade policies of the World Trade Organization. The move allowed commercial breeders to bring in an unlimited quantity of fighting cocks provided that they were willing to pay certain fees, as well as quarantine facilities and farm area to breed the animals. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV