Phillipines - Poultry, cattle and hog raisers in the Visayas and Mindanao are assured of a stable feed supply with the presence of a P400-million feed mill in Iligan City.
Fil-Am Foods vice president Hendel Cabral said Cebu province, which accounts for 15 percent of the Vis-Min market, will benefit most from the feed mill owned by Pilmico Foods Corp. (PFC).
Fil-Am Foods Inc. is a subsidiary of PFC, which produces commercial feeds for its company through its milling facility in Kiwalan Cove, Iligan City in Lanao del Norte.
The Iligan feed mill is the first Pilmico facility outside of Luzon.
PFC president Antonio Moraza said their mill facility in Capas, Tarlac, produces animal feeds that are shipped to different distributors throughout the country.
However, rising freight costs convinced them to open the Iligan feed mill.
Cabral said the company chose to open the Iligan facility after the Vis-Min market gained a strong distribution sector.
“From the period we opened the Iligan milling complex, we waited for some time until our market (for feeds) grow a bit. We would have wanted to open it earlier but there are factors we need to consider also,” he said.
Since the feed mill is now closer to Cebu and the rest of the provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao, delivery and transport will be easier and more efficient.
This will benefit the company and the distributors, he said.
The new feed mill will produce hog and poultry feeds. PFC produces animal feeds as by-product of it flour milling operations,
In a press statement, PFC said site development of the feed mill started in June 2007. Operations will start this month.
PFC also noted that fresh feeds will always be available to serve the needs of the Vis-Min market.
“(It is also an) economic gain for the region with better access to advanced animal feeds, (and) more efficient growth and development in terms of trade and commerce,” the company said.
Dutch firm Ottevanger Milling Engineers B.V. will supply, install and commission the equipment in the feed mill.
PFC said Ottevanger specializes in the design and manufacture of equipment and complete plants for grain processing and feed industry.
“Pilmico expects to benefit from this project due to the operational synergies the feed milling plant will share with the flour milling infrastructure already in place,” the company said.
