Cargill builds animal feed plant in PH

American agribusiness giant Cargill is building a new premix animal feed manufacturing facility in Malolos, Bulacan, scaling up its investment in the Philippines, which is deemed as a key growth market for its business in Asia.

Cargill broke ground for the new facility on Tuesday at First Bulacan Industrial Park in Malolos, Bulacan.  This will be its fifth animal nutrition facility in the Philippines and the first dedicated to the production of Provimi premix solutions, the firm said.

The facility—designed to deliver 20,000 metric tons of premix solutions per year—is slated for completion by the third quarter of 2017.  It will cater primarily to medium to large livestock farms and feed millers. The facility is expected to employ about 50 people.

It said the facility would be built “with the highest and strictest standards in both employee safety, which Cargill prioritizes in its operations, as well as product quality and consistency.”

Malolos Mayor Christian Natividad, who graced the ground-breaking, welcomed the addition of the facility. “We are happy to be the beneficiary of this investment and we look forward to a very good partnership with Cargill,” he said.

The Philippines is seen as a key growth market for Cargill’s animal nutrition business in Asia as it seeks to become one of the regional leaders in providing world-class applied nutrition solutions.

Cargill is also investing in a new poultry processing facility in Batangas via a joint venture with homegrown fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. This will employ 1,000 employees and will be the largest of its kind in the Philippines.

The JFC group is one of the largest buyers of chicken in the Philippines.  Apart from flagship brand Jollibee which sells the popular “chickenjoy,” its brands Mang Inasal, Chowking, Greenwich and Burger King franchise also sell chicken products.

“The opening of both facilities reinforces Cargill’s commitment to growing in Asia and strengthens its position as the global leader in nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way,” it said. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla