San Miguel food unit allots $1.2B for new poultry farms
San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. (SMFB) is putting up 12 poultry farms, with an estimated cost of $1.2 billion, across the country.
“We are going to produce, intending to put up 12 poultry facilities. each one will produce 80 million birds per year, so that’s 960 million birds. each bird can (weigh) 2.5 kilos. these are big sizes and many are in need of this big bird variety for chicken nuggets or whole roast,” said SMFB President ramon Ang.
the poultry farms will be put up in Badoc, Ilocos; San Fabian, Pangasinan; orani, Bataan; San Ildefonso, Bulacan; Balayan, Batangas; Sariaya, Quezon; Bulan, Sorsogon; Leganes, Iloilo; Malabuyoc, Cebu; Sta. Cruz, Davao; Phividec in Misamis oriental and Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur.
Ang said construction is already ongoing, adding that the facilities could be ready after 24 months. “each location is $100 million. It should all be available in two years. So by June 2024 that will be finished and operational.”
the new poultry farms are expected to create one million jobs, added Ang. “From plantation to feed mill to poultry processing plant, etc….the whole chain will create one million jobs.”
SMFB’S revenues grew 17 percent year-on-year to P172.1 billion in the first half, driven by gains in volume and pricing adjustment across the product portfolios of its beer, spirits, and food divisions in order to mitigate the impacts of input cost increases.
Consolidated EBITDA and consolidated income from operations managed to rose 11 percent and 15 percent to P32.4 billion and P26.6 billion, respectively. Consolidated net income was up 8 percent to P18.8 billion.
Meanwhile, Ang said the construction of the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan is “in full blast” and “on time.”
the P740-billion airport project should be completed by 2027, but Ang said the two runways could be ready by 2026.
He also said the airport will be powered by solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) that can store power when generation is high but power consumption is low, and can be released when the demand is high.
“this battery storage will be a viable solution to balancing electricity loads and storing unstable energy supply coming from the sun and other renewable sources of energy which we are looking to utilize for the airport,” Ang said.
San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) international gateway project in Bulacan is seen to not only solve the worsening airport and traffic congestion in Metro Manila and give the Philippine economy a major boost. It is projected to generate trillions of dollars in economic activity and job opportunities, potentially contributing about 9 percent to GDP by 2025. estimated annual impact to the economy would amount to nearly P900 billion.
SMC has also invested significantly in battery storage technology in various parts of the country to help stabilize power grids, minimize power wastage and provide reliable and affordable electricity coming from a mix of renewable and traditional sources.
the technology is seen to significantly encourage the use of more renewable energy in the long term, as storing power can address one of the main hindrances to wider adoption of renewable power, apart from high cost—that is, limited power source, such as sunlight or wind.