Monday, June 04, 2007 Meat processor targets N. Mindanao swine industry
A NEW player in the processing of fresh, frozen pork meat in South Cotabato is hoping to flex its procurement muscles to as far as Northern Mindanao, a top company executive said.
Stephen Castillo, manager of Matutum Meat Packing Corporation, said the firm may go as far as the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro and its neighboring areas in the near term or once the company establishes its reputation in the industry.
Matutum Meat, which started its operation in Polomolok town about a month ago, is a fully Filipino-owned company with investments of around P200 million for its modern slaughterhouse and meat processing facilities.
"Eventually, we are looking at not only servicing the swine industry in Central Mindanao but those in a 12-hour radius," he said.
The firm's plant, which is about 20 minutes drive from this premier port city, has an estimated travel distance of 12 hours to Northern Mindanao.
Castillo said they won't discriminate backyard-grown pigs from those raised by commercial operators since the demand for fresh pork meat is huge domestically and internationally.
Swine raised by backyard growers will be supplied to the domestic market while those from commercial farms will be shipped abroad, he added.
Matutum Meat, a sister company of Cebu-based Sunpride Foods Inc., is one of two Mindanao firms earlier tapped by the Department of Agriculture for the trial shipment of cut-out pork meat products to Singapore. The other is Nenita Quality Food Corp.
An estimated 200 metric tons of fresh frozen cut up pork parts are slated to be shipped by Matutum Meat and Nenita's starting July until yearend from Mindanao, which was declared by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organization for Animal Health as free from the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease.
Castillo said if the Singaporean market will be successfully penetrated, it would boost the swine industry of the country since Singapore's standards serve the barometer for other Asean nations.
"We can then pry open the other foreign markets in the region if we can make it in Singapore. We are confident we can hurdle the standards of Singapore," he added.
Because the ideal quality meat for export destination is produced by commercial growers, Castillo advised that backyard growers should make adjustments in feeding practices if they want to ride on the potentials of the foreign market. (BSS)
