Agriculture Secretary William Dar welcomes the participation of Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corporation (CPFPC), an agro-industrial and food conglomerate based in Thailand, as it forged ties with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to revive the country’s swine industry.
The DBP and CPFPC firmed up their partnership through a memorandum of agreement (MOA), on May 20, 2021, in Gerona, Tarlac, for the implementation of the “Swine Rehabilitation, Repopulation and Recovery Credit” or Swine R3 program. It will finance bio-secured farm projects and thus support the national government’s efforts in reviving the local swine industry adversely affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
“This is a welcome development for us at the DA as we pursue joint efforts to control ASF and repopulate ASF-free areas. With CPFPC’s technological expertise in modern bio-secured farms and DBP’s support in providing credit assistance to eligible public and private institutions, we will be able to level up our efforts in reviving the industry,” said Secretary Dar, who witnessed the MOA signing.
DBP President and CEO Emmanuel Herbosa said through this partnership, the national government will be able to elevate and expedite its swine repopulation and rehabilitation initiatives that will eventually allow the country to recover to its pre-ASF status.
“Through this program, we hope to assist in the recovery of our hog industry and eventually contribute to the country’s food security,” Herbosa said.
The DBP said “Swine R3” credit program borrowers include duly registered private enterprises and local government units (LGUs). The loan should be used for the construction of bio-secured swine farms, and acquisition of farm machineries and equipment. Eligible projects include swine breeder farms, swine wean-to-finish farms, and consolidated swine facility projects.
For his part, CPFPC Vice Chairman Khun Sakol Cheewakoset expressed his sincerest gratitude and thanksgiving for the trust that was given to their company to help in the recovery of the Philippine swine industry through the DBP’s credit program.
“Through this partnership, we will be able to share our knowledge in helping boost a sustainable business climate not only for our company, but also for our Filipino farmer-partners. Our state-of-the-art bio-secured farms enable us to be resilient from ASF, thus making our business a success. Moving forward, this will also open export opportunities for the Philippines. We assure and commit to you our continuous support in investing in the Philippines,” Cheewakoset said.
“I am glad that we have partnered with a well-known company such as the CPFPC, showing the way to help government revive our swine industry. They have the technologies and the modern systems in managing ASF, especially when it comes to biosecurity measures. I hope the CPFPC can expand their operations in regions near the NCR, where the country’s main pork market is,” the DA chief said.
“When we rolled out the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion or INSPIRE program, we emphasized the whole-of-nation approach. We galvanized support from the private sector, financing institutions, and local government units (LGUs) and commit to strongly implement the hog repopulation program. We are glad that this is slowly coming into fruition,” he added. ### (Rita dela Cruz, DA StratComms)
