Pilmico Foods Corporation (Pilmico), the integrated agribusiness and food company of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV), has distributed bangus fry and conducted technical assistance in Capiz, which benefited victims of Typhoon Ursula.
Richard Rafio, Pilmico Feeds Category Manager for Aqua, said that despite the pandemic restrictions, their team has been consistent in delivering services to beneficiaries of the company’s Bangon Capiznon initiative.
“In the last few months since we launched this initiative, our team has been working with the Roxas City government and we also got endorsements from the BFAR ,” shared Rafio.
Last February, the Pilmico Aqua Feeds team turned over 1.3 million bangus fry to help Capiz fishermen rebuild their typhoon-depleted fish stocks.
This program, according to the company, also helped the beneficiaries weather the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to earn more and post better fish growth amid the health crisis.
To recall, Roxas City was one of the areas severely affected by the December 2019 Typhoon Ursula.
In addition to this, Capiz fishermen and fish cage owners were provided with technical knowledge about fish feeds ratios, proper use and scheduling of feeds variants, and fish cage specifications to promote a better fish-growing environment.
Because of this technical assistance, Capiz’s fishermen were able to secure additional earnings at P10 to P15 per kilo from February to October due to increased fish growth and performance, and avoided additional losses from inefficient feeding practices.
Compared to other brands, Pilmico’s aqua feeds facilitated faster and better growth, with an average of 15 to 20 days earlier harvesting time.
The Bangon Capiznon beneficiaries were able to harvest 15 tons of fish or approximately 13,607 kilograms.
Aside from the training, Pilmico is also providing consistent support through flexible feed payment terms, speeding up business recovery, and by helping close technical knowledge gaps in proper fish cage management and aqua feeds ratios.
Right now, Pilmico continues to operate business as usual across all its businesses, including swine, poultry, and aquatic feeds.
Back in May, Pilmico and Gold Coin Food Group President and Chief Executive Officer Hubert de Roquefeuil said that Pilmico continues to deliver stakeholders’ needs amid rising concerns about the pandemic’s economic limitations.
“We are currently focused on ensuring that our current production facilities across the region are optimized and that utilization is maintained at a high level so that we can adequately cater to the needs of our customers,” Roquefeuil said.
Pilmico Foods Corporation & Gold Coin Management Holdings are the integrated agribusiness and food companies of AEV.
Gold Coin is now fully-managed and owned by Pilmico International and to date, it is the largest investment in the Asia-Pacific region in their shared history.
Pilmico comprises four divisions: Flour, Feeds, Farms, and Trading.