LBP president-CEO Cecilia Borromeo and CPFPC vice chairman Sakol Cheewakoset show MOA they signed with Agriculture Sec. William Dar, Bataan Vice-Gov. Ma. Cristina Garcia and Samal Mayor Aida Macalinao as witnesses. Photo by Ernie Esconde
SAMAL, Bataan — The Land Bank of the Philippines has partnered with Thai company Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corp. (CPFPC) to support hog, poultry, and aqua raisers to expand their business operations.
A memorandum of agreement was signed Friday at the Thai firm’s aqua feeds plant in Samal, by LBP president-CEO Cecilia Borromeo and CPFPC vice chairman Sakol Cheewakoset.
Agriculture Sec. William Dar, Bataan Vice-Gov. Ma. Cristina Garcia and Samal Mayor Aida Macalinao witnessed the signing.
“Napakagandang project ito kasi it will boost our food security. Alam naman natin na kumakain tayo three times a day siyempre kung mahal ang bibilhin nating pagkain ay kaunting pagkain lang ang mabibili natin. So, with this project ay makakatulong na mabawasan ang mga importations natin dito sa Pilipinas,” Garcia said.
Cheewakoset explained that the partnership and cooperation between LBP and CPFPC was about providing credit, technical and marketing support to potential borrowers for hog and shrimp enterprises.
He said that CPFPC remains to be one of the most active integrators in the livestock and poultry industry and was tapped by the Department of Agriculture to help in the hog repopulation, rehabilitation and recovery program of the government.
Through the MOA, CPFPC committed to refer to LBP their investors that will be needing financing to build bio-secured facilities for the growing and/or breeding of hogs, chicken and shrimp, as well as capital expenditure and operating expenses for franchises of the company’s meat shop and roasted and fried chicken station.
The Thai firm also committed to remit to LBP contractual fees due to growers to ensure payment of loan amortization.
Cheewakoset said that in support of DA’s initiative to cluster backyard hog raisers, CPFPC is willing to engage the coops/associations of clustered farmers into a contract growing scheme even at initial capacity of 300 hogs. The standard requirement of CPFPC is 1,200 heads.
The Thai firm employs 3,000 Filipino workers.
“We assure that CPFPC will be a partner of the Philippine government through DA and LBP in envisioning and providing a good way of life for the Filipino people,” Cheewakoset said.
Borromeo said the government-owned LBP will extend financing support to CPFPC’s clustered farmer-fisher groups, cooperatives, micro, small and medium enterprises and other agri-enterprises for the acquisition and construction of bio-secured buildings and other facilities to boost production.
“We welcome the partnership to advance the competitiveness of swine, poultry and aqua industry players nationwide. Land Bank will continue to provide appropriate financing support to meet the growing domestic demand of the agriculture sector towards food security and job generation,” the LBP head said.
“The collaboration is also in line with LBP’s continuing contribution to building a stronger and resilient hog industry which has been constrained by the African swine fever outbreak,” Borromeo added.
