BACOLOD CITY — The ban on genetically modified products in Negros Occidental has caused prices of feeds to rise and compelled hog and poultry raisers in the province to put their expansion plans on hold.

Leaders of hog and poultry associations here said they now pay about P2 more for each kilo of corn they source from Iloilo, after they have stopped buying GMO (genetically modified organism) corn, which has been banned in the province.

Hog raisers in the province use 900,000 kilos or nine tons of feeds daily and send 2,500 heads of hogs to Cebu every month.

"All our plans for expansion are on hold. We don’t know what is going to happen," said Albert Lim, president of Negros Occidental Hog Raisers Association, the local group of commercial swine producers.

Mr. Lim; Rosendo de la Rama, president of Alliance of Hog Raisers Associations in Negros Occidental; and Manuel H. Puey, president of the Negros Occidental Poultry Raisers Association asked Gov. Isidro Zayco and the Provincial Board to lift the ban while the GMO ban ordinance is being reviewed.

"The ordinance has to be re-assessed. We’re asking for a moratorium to give time to review the merits and demerits of the ordinance. First of all, if the ordinance has to be implemented, there should be proper facilities," Mr. Puey said.

Provincial agriculturist Igmedio Tabanian said the provincial government needs P16 million to fully enforce the GMO ban, while the Provincial Veterinary Office has proposed a P213-million implementation program that includes the establishment of a GMO laboratory, as well as personnel hiring and training.

Provincial veterinarian Renante Decena has proposed the use of Polymerase Chain Reaction Technology which can detect the presence of genetically modified materials at very low levels.

Mr. de la Rama, who heads the 26-member-association backyard raisers alliance, said the GMO ban seems to contradict the provincial government’s support for their 1,700 members which is supposed to include genetic enhancement, feeds, and dispersal programs. The feeds distributed to the hog raisers consist of GMO corn, he said.

Mr. Lim also said the GMO ban could also jeopardize the hog industry’s goal of drawing investors to the Visayas and Mindanao because the farms in Luzon are already overcrowded.

He said Negros Occidental needs more hogs for the operation of the soon-to-open Triple A slaughterhouse, which has a capacity to slaughter 1,000 hogs daily, in the North Negros Agro-Industrial Export Processing Zone.

"We will need more feeds for this," Mr. Lim said.

Last week, the provincial board approved a review of the GMO ban, but pending the evaluation, the ordinance will remain in effect, said Vice-Gov. Emilio Yulo III.