MANILA, Philippines — Metro Pacific Agro Ventures Inc. (MPAV), the agribusiness firm of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, is keen on collaborating with the National Dairy Authority (NDA) in boosting the country’s milk production and reducing dependence on imported sources.
MPAV CEO Jovy Hernandez recently met with NDA administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya to explore potential partnerships aimed at strengthening the local dairy sector.
“We are serious about working with the NDA to improve the state of our local dairy industry,” Hernandez was quoted as saying in a news release by the NDA yesterday.
“Our children and grandchildren deserve nutritious and fresh local milk and dairy products,” he added.
Hernandez noted that it is important to raise consumers’ awareness about the nutritional benefits of milk to increase demand of the commodity.
MPAV is a wholly owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) that has made significant investments in the dairy industry through its majority stake in The Laguna Creamery Inc., the company behind Carmen’s Best and Holly’s Milk.
Last August, MPAV acquired Universal Harvester Dairy Farms Inc. (UHFDI) in Bukidnon. The company is also constructing a state-of-the-art dairy facility in Bay, Laguna, in partnership with Israel’s LR Group, designed to produce six million liters of milk annually.
“MPIC’s entry into the dairy industry signals a positive shift. If a conglomerate of this scale is investing in dairy, it shows there’s tremendous potential. With 99 percent of our milk still imported, there’s a massive market opportunity,” Andaya said.
“Collaboration is key. We welcome all forms of support, whether from the private sector, academia, or international partners, to help our dairy sector thrive,” he added.
Hernandez echoed Andaya’s statement, adding that the country’s dependency on imports would be reduced if dairy industry players – from small to large-scale enterprises – would work together.
Andaya said the NDA plans to increase the country’s milk sufficiency ratio to five percent by 2028 from the current level of 1.5 percent. Some of the agency’s plan in achieving the target include expanding the national dairy herd, boosting milk yields, creating demand, raising public awareness and increasing farmers’ incomes.
The NDA chief said they plan to grow the national dairy herd through stock farms, multiplier farms and nucleus farms. He explained that imported cattle would be acclimatized at stock farms before their offspring are distributed to multiplier farms and eventually to farmer beneficiaries.
The NDA is set to construct five stock farms across key locations: General Tinio in Nueva Ecija, Ubay in Bohol, Malaybalay in Bukidnon, Carmen in Cotabato and Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur.