President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has inaugurated San Miguel Corp.’s World-Class Controlled-Climate Magnolia Poultry Farm in Davao del Sur, which is seen to help ensure food security in the country.
“Of the sectors I have mentioned, we put a high premium on investments in agriculture, as it is the key to combating hunger and poverty, and achieving our goal of food sufficiency and security across the country,” President Marcos said during the inauguration ceremony in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur.
The President noted the poultry farm is just the first of the 11 planned provincial locations nationwide under SMC’s Poultry Megafarm Projects.
“Once realized, these will ensure a more stable, sufficient, and cost-competitive supply of chicken
as well as bolster the food and nutritional needs of our people. And that is the very reason why I came all the way here just to come here to Hagonoy to see the facility that San Miguel Foods has put up,” he said.
San Miguel President and CEO Ramon Ang said he built the modern chicken in response to the call of the President for him and the private sector to help the government ensure food security in the country.
“Noong tinawagan ng Presidente ang taong-bayan, pati ako pinagsabihan niya personally na magtulong-tulong tayo to produce locally produced food, to make sure na walang magutom na Pilipino, walang magugutom na kababayan natin at murang pagkain, high quality pang pagkain,” Ang said during the event.
In response to the call, Ang said the SMC immediately coordinated with the President through the assistance of Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
President Marcos said he came to Davao del Sur to highlight to both local and foreign investors that agricultural modernization is the way to ensure food security and technologies abroad can be adopted in the Philippines.
He said the most important part is for the people to realize that the country can no longer depend on the informal food production techniques that it has depended on for a longer time.
“Because the population density, the geopolitical situation right now, which just became a great deal worse. All of these factors come together and that is why we have pushed very, very hard to make sure that in the Philippines, by itself, we are able to feed our people,” Marcos explained.
“And we are showing — this facility such as this are showing the way how to do it. We must industrialize our agriculture. Of course, we do not prevent the backyard growing and ‘yung pag-aalaga ng baboy, ng manok sa bawat bahay.”
The PhP3.34-billion Magnolia Poultry Farm (MPF) is situated in a 921.91-hectare property in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur. The project envisions to house 28 world-class climate-controlled farmhouses that will produce 80 million birds annually.
The facility targets to produce dressed whole chickens, processed chickens (marinated and deboned), and other chicken parts (liver, intestines, etc.). It has an estimated total annual capacity of 66.81 million kilograms.
The MPF, which started commercial operations in September this year, will serve the requirements of San Miguel Food Inc.’s (SMFI) Dressing Plant in Davao del Sur and also supply Mindanao. | PND
Photo Courtesy of PCO