Hog farm-to-fork value chain to be highlighted in Agrilink
The importance of “Hog Farm-toFork” value chain will take center stage at the 2018 edition of the Agrilink trade show which will be held on October 4-6 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
The advantages of an efficient hog value chain have been successfully demonstrated by the Pampanga-based RDF Feed, Livestock and Foods, Inc (RDFFLFI), the only company-owned and company-operated agri-food system enterprise in the Philippines. Over the years, RDF has integrated its production systems and value-adding processes into a cohesive supply chain, where every step is supervised by experts to ensure safety and quality at all points of distribution.
This supply chain, according to RDF President and CEO Dr. Robert H. Lo, encompasses the flow of products, facilities and technologies; and the financial and social capital required to manage people to produce high-quality meat products. The integration, for instance, starts at the feedmill, where the nutritional requirements of the animals are top priority. Its company-owned hog farm is also involved in breeding and genetics improvement programs to increase productivity. RDF also operates an in-house, export-grade abattoir, a meat cutting plant and a meat processing plant that assure the public that all meats and meat products are processed and prepared under hygienic conditions to make sure they are fresh and safe for human consumption. It also has its own cold storage facilities where products are further processed into high quality value-added pork products. RDF also manages its own extension and logistics, transporting meat products (thru its cold chain delivery system) to all stores of Fresh Options Meat shop and restaurants.
Lo added, “Our holistic, farm-tofork approach helps the company sustain the efficiency of our operations, and thus improves our capacity utilization. Streamlining the production systems has enabled us to diversify our markets and address gaps in our supply chain through value-adding.”
FRLD president Antonio V. Roces said, “Sustaining the profitability of the hog sector, which is the biggest contributor in the Philippine livestock industry, depends on the efficiency of its value chain and the technologies it uses. Ultimately, promoting more investments in the hog sector—from animal health inputs, world-class processing facilities, housing and equipment and financial assistance to market access—will improve the economies of scale even among our smallholders while also enticing entrepreneurs to venture into agribusiness.” Roces also cited that 65% of hog raisers comprise smallholders, which makes an efficient value chain a must in the industry.
In addition, Lo stressed that with hog raising becoming a profitable agribusiness venture once again, both the government and private stakeholders must work proactively in tackling perennial challenges such as pork smuggling. “We can empower hog raisers by offering more opportunities and access to financial and technical support, by ensuring their security of tenure, and most importantly, by providing the land use zone to rear livestock and by equipping people with knowledge, skills and right attitude on biosecurity. Indeed, Agrilink serves as a good platform for farmers, consumers, stakeholders, policy makers and agricultural enterprises to develop linkages within our industry and share technological innovations that will help sustain the hog sector’s growth.”
Agrilink 2018 is supported by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its allied agencies such as Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, Bureau of Agricultural Research, DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service and 30 other major Philippine food and agribusiness organizations. The event is also in cooperation with FIT Corea, the Philippine representative of Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative. For free seminar participation, contact FRLD at 09175888799 or email frld. agrilink@gmail.com. Visitors can also pre-register their attendance through www.agrilink.org or its official Facebook page at facebook.com/agrilinkPH.