Cargill opens $12-M feed plant in Bulacan

US-based agro-industrial firm Cargill formally opened a $12 million plant in Bulacan where its Provimi brand of animal nutrition premix products would be manufactured.

The commissioning of the premix facility situated in the First Bulacan Industrial Park in Malolos, Bulacan follows the opening of Cargill’s poultry processing plant in Batangas, a joint venture with Jollibee Foods Corp.

The premix facility, which will have 50 employees, will supply the animal feed requirements of livestock and poultry growers in the country and in Southeast Asia.

The two plants are expected to strengthen the company’s presence in the Asia Pacific region, where Cargill employs 54,000 employees across 16 countries.

“The Philippines and Southeast Asian countries are seeing increased consumer demand for meat products, especially pork and chicken. This is great news for the growth potential of local livestock farms and feed millers,” said Noel Kim, general manager of Cargill Provimi Philippines.

“At our premix plant, Cargill can now manufacture the animal nutrition products. These producers need to sustainably deliver high quality, safe, affordable meat to consumers,” he added.

Chuck Warta, president of Cargill Premix and Nutrition, said Southeast Asia is a fertile ground for business because of its growing population and income.

“With the population and income growth driving demand for animal protein in the region, Cargill knows how important it is to invest here, supporting local farmers and creating additional job opportunities as a result of our growth,” he said.

Ralph Bean, agricultural counselor at USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, said the investment strengthens economic relations between the Philippines and the US.

“This plant is one of Cargill’s, and one of US Agriculture’s many investments in Philippine agriculture, and it heralds a strong partnership and a bright future for all going forward. The plant will provide products that will enable Philippine farmers to ensure greater productivity, reliability and quality in the end products that go onto Philippine dinner tables,” Bean said.

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services in 70 countries worldwide, employing 155,000 workers.