San Miguel eyes 80 million annual chicken production in Davao del Sur

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – San Miguel Corporation (SMC) inaugurated its massive poultry farm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, on Thursday, October 12,
with the aim of significantly reducing the country’s reliance on imported chicken.

The SMC Hagonoy farm intends to produce 80 million chickens annually.

Ramon Ang, the president and chief executive officer of SMC, announced that the farm would initially create 1,000 jobs within Davao del Sur.

Ang also revealed SMC’s plans to establish a similar poultry farm in conflict-stricken Central Mindanao, “to help improve the security” in the Bangsamoro region.

He expressed SMC’s interest in forming partnerships with local farmers’ groups or cooperatives, emphasizing that “we are not competing with backyard poultry.”

In Davao del Sur, SMC has already entered into a partnership agreement with farming groups representing about 900 families.

Similar facilities will be established by SMC in Pangasinan, Bataan, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Pagadian, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, and in one of the Maguindanao provinces.

Meanwhile, Ang asked the Marcos Jr. administration to support SMC’s plan to lease vast tracts of land in Mindanao.

He said SMC intends to cultivate fertile land on the island with high-value cash crops.

“Mr. President, please allow us to lease land, either independently or through a joint venture with the National Commission for the Indigenous Peoples in Mindanao. The land is so vast that we could cultivate palm oil, rice, corn, or other high-value crops. If we could receive support from the Department of Agriculture, we could establish some,” Ang said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who led the inauguration of the SMC poultry farm, also serves as the head of the agriculture department.

Marcos Jr. welcomed the SMC venture, saying it would contribute to efforts aimed at boosting the country’s agriculture.

“We can no longer rely on informal food production. We must industrialize our agriculture,” he said.

Marcos Jr. added, “We place a high premium on agriculture. This is the key to combating hunger and achieving food security and sufficiency across the country.”

He said SMC’s poultry farm in Davao del Sur would not compete with small farmers because its final product would be ready-to-eat.

“It won’t be going straight to the market, so that our backyard growers can continue,” Marcos Jr. said. – Rappler.com