BULUAN, Maguindanao -- A multi-million modern Halal hatchery and poultry dressing plant was inaugurated on Friday, February 9 in Buluan, Maguindanao in time for the Inaul Festival.

The launching of the facility, which was attended by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, is seen provide livelihood and income to hundreds of Muslim families through a “growership” program.

“This is Halal and first high-tech hatchery in Mindanao, we partnered with foreign investors for this (Taiwanese),” Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu said in an interview with reporters.

He explained that certifying bodies from the Department of Agriculture and other groups will inspect the facility to secure available Halal certification.

“With the advanced technology that we are using for the facility, we expect minimal, if not zero mortality rate to ensure that the chicken are healthy,” he said adding that the facility will officially start its commercial operations by the end of March this year.

Piñol shared that the hatchery will initially produce 60,000 broiler chicks every week while the dressing plant has the capacity to process 30,000 to 60,000 heads of broilers daily.

He added that the chicks produced from the hatchery will be grown in facilities inside the project site and in the homes of out-growers who will receive facilities from the Department of Agriculture.

Feeds and supervision, Piñol said, will also be provided by the facility to Muslim families involved in the grow-out.

“Halal poultry products have a niche market and the potential of Maguindanao as a major poultry production area is bolstered by the fact that it is a major corn-production province,” Piñol said.