The Board of Investments (BOI) has approved Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC)'s agri-business unit Metro Pacific Dairy Farms, Inc. (MPDF) as new dairy producer with initial investment of P2 billion in Laguna.
In a statement Monday, May 20, the BOI said that the MPDF project will boost domestic dairy production amid growing domestic demand. Operations will start in March next year.
The DTI cited data from the National Dairy Authority, which stated that the country had a total demand of 2.93 billion liters for dairy in 2023, but 99 percent of dairy consumption is provided by imports, while local producers only account for 0.98 percent.
With the initial P2-billion project cost, the BOI said the facility will house "a thousand cows to produce 6.5 million liters of raw milk annually."
It will produce varieties of dairy products and plant-based beverages, through the use of high-technology dairy farming techniques and equipment.
It will also cater to the rising interest in plant-based dairy alternatives among the public.
Based on the BOI-commissioned Rapid Industry Appraisal (RIA) of the Philippine Plant-Based Foods Industry, local production capacity for plant-based milk is at around 24.4 million liters.
"MPDF's project is expected to boost this capacity by 12 percent, reaching 27.4 million liters per year and enabling the local supply to meet 95 percent of the forecasted demand of 28.8 million liters by 2025," it said.
BOI Managing Head and Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo remarked that they are looking forward to the introduction of advanced dairy farming technology in the country.
“This initiative is a crucial stride towards enhancing our food security and reducing our dependency on imported milk. Achieving greater self-sufficiency in our dairy supply likewise ensures that Filipino consumers have access to fresh, high-quality local products,” he added.
Earlier this month, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual had met with representatives from the eQatar food brand Baladna to discuss the potential establishment of a dairy facility in the country to also improve local production.