San Miguel Corporation (SMC), through San Miguel Foods Inc., has already procured a total of 436,209 metric tons (MT) of corn from local farmers as part of its commitment to the government to help with the purchase of locally produced food across the country during the pandemic.
Moving forward, the company is still looking to buy more corn and secure contract growing deals with more farmers.
SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said the company had been ramping up its local corn purchases from farmer cooperatives in various areas nationwide, including North Central and Southern Luzon as well as Southern Mindanao.
The move heeds the call from the Department of Agriculture (DA) for companies to support farmers especially in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.
“Back in May, we announced our plan to buy more local corn, to prevent farmers from losing their capital and having the corn just go to waste, and to secure our raw materials for food production," Ang said.
"We’re fortunate that we have completed construction of many of our new, modern feed mills nationwide, equipped with large silos with aerators. This allows us to stockpile and store corn and other grains for a year,” he added.
Ang said that the company is still looking to buy more corn, particularly from Bukidnon and Pangasinan, once their harvest season starts in the first quarter of 2021.
“We will continue to help our local farmers however we can, and at the same time, ensure our supply of raw materials for food production. This pandemic has been a great challenge to all of us Filipinos and our economy. But if we work together and contribute, we will be able to help out many sectors,” Ang said.
Recently, SMC opened Better World Diliman, a market for excess produce bought from farmers at better-than-farmgate prices, and sold to resellers and consumers at lower prices.