SMC eyes more mega farms to boost Philippines poultry production

MANILA, Philippines — Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), through its food and beverage unit, is poised to further beef up the country’s poultry production with the completion of additional mega farms.

Following the inauguration of the country’s largest poultry facility last year, SMC chairman and CEO Ramon Ang said the construction of other mega farms are in full swing, with the company to complete more facilities in the coming months.

Ang said the company is set to open a mega farm in Quezon to be followed by another in Bataan.

“So it’s continuing. Completion will be one after another,” Ang said on the sidelines of a forum organized by SMC and the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines yesterday.

San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. (SMFB) earlier bared plans to build 12 poultry mega plants nationwide at a cost of $1.2 billion.

Last October, the company inaugurated the Magnolia Poultry Farm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, the country’s largest poultry facility composed of 28 modules with five farmhouses each.

It is the first of the 12 mega farms that the company plans to build across the country.

The facility will produce healthy chicken with premium quality that is affordable.

Once completed, SMFB’s mega farms will ensure the availability of chicken at all times.

The investment in mega farms nationwide is part of the company’s commitment to boost the country’s food security.

Ang sees poultry, one of the most economical source of protein, as a vital component in achieving food security, which he said is one of the most important issues at present.