President Marcos assured small poultry businesses and backyard growers that they will thrive alongside the poultry megafarms being put up around the country.
Marcos said the megafarm facilities that feature technologies from America and being established in various sites in the Philippines by the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) will not compete with the small poultry backyard growers.
"[H]indi mag-compete ito sa mga small farmers dahil ang final product nito ready-to-eat (This will not compete with the small farmers because its final product is ready-to-eat)," Marcos said as he led the inauguration of the poultry megafarm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur on Thursday, Oct. 12.
According to SMC President Ramon Ang, the products from the facility will not be brought to the wet markets.
"Oo, hindi sa palengke ang pupuntahan nito kaya’t patuloy pa rin yung ating mga backyard na nag-go-grower. Puwede pa silang— tuloy-tuloy naman (Yes, these will not go to the markets, so backyard growers can still continue. They can carry on with it)," Marcos said.
The President stressed that putting up megafarm facilities "is the way forward" for the Philippines, saying that it can no longer depend on the informal production of food considering the increasing demand caused by population density and geopolitical situation.
He, however, clarified that by supporting initiatives like this by the private sector, the government is not preventing backyard growers from continuing with their livelihood.
"Of course, we do not prevent the backyard growing and yung pag-aalaga ng baboy, ng manok sa bawat bahay. Hindi naman kinukumpetensiya ‘yan. Iba ang merkado nito (and pig raisers. They are not giving them competition as this has a different market)," Marcos reiterated in his speech during the inauguration ceremony.
The megafarm in Hagonoy is one of the 12 planned poultry megafarm projects around the country by SMC that aims to produce 80 million birds or about 200 million kilos in live weight per farm to be harvested annually.
Ang, in his speech, bared that the project was a realization of Marcos' request when he was still vying for presidency. He said Marcos then called him and sought his help to come up with ways to sustain the country's food security and not depend on importation.
READ MORE: World-class poultry megafarms seen abroad possible in PH—Marcos