Multinational food and agriculture firm Cargill has started commercial operation of its first basemix plant in Mindanao in a bid to take advantage of the demand for high-quality and safe animal nutrition solutions for hogs and chicken.
Its local unit Cargill Philippines started operating its basemix plant in Mindanao in November this year, offering nutritious and safe animal nutrition solutions composed of micro-ingredients, such as vitamins and minerals, meant to improve the health, immunity, and growth of hogs and chickens.
The new facility has an annual capacity of 30,000 metric tons and is equipped with modern automated technologies.
The facility is located beside the Cargill Animal Nutrition and Health’s compound feed production facility in Villanueva in the province of Misamis Oriental, which produces swine and poultry products for the region.
Sonny Catacutan, president of Cargill Philippines and managing director of Cargill Animal Nutrition and Health, said the company works closely with its customers and the local communities to identify and unlock opportunities to optimize its market footprint.
“We are proud and excited to unveil our new basemix plant in Mindanao, a strategic decision that allows us to better serve our customers across the region with our latest animal nutrition offerings and solutions," Catacutan said.
Cargill said the move to open a basemix plant there should help stimulate Mindanao’s animal-farming sector and strengthen the local feed and protein supply chains without relying on imported base mixes.
At present, Mindanao remains to be the country’s food basket due to its rich soil and conducive farming climate.
Besides being a major production hub for agricultural crops, the island also plays a crucial role in serving the growing animal protein requirements of the nation.
Cargill is a leading animal nutrition and health supplier in the Philippines, offering swine, poultry, and aqua feed, along with premix solutions, to livestock farmers and feed millers.
The Philippines was Cargill’s first office in Asia. It opened business in the Philippines in 1947 when the firm’s vegetable oil division started buying copra for export to the United States.
Among many other businesses, Cargill also supplies chicken to Jollibee Foods Corporation through their joint venture Cargill Joy Poultry Meats Production, which has a poultry processing facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas.