President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the Mega Manufacturing Plant in Batangas serves as an example of what he wants to achieve in the country’s agriculture sector, pointing out the importance of upscaling agricultural operations to benefit small farmers and fisherfolks.
The President made this remark in his speech during the inauguration of the Mega Manufacturing Plant in Batangas, which is seen to contribute to government efforts in ensuring food security and generating more jobs and economic opportunities for Filipinos.
“It is an example of what we in agriculture and agribusiness are hoping to demonstrate to all our investors, the ability to scale up from what can be a backyard kind of business slowly building it up to a very modern and very, very high production capacity like we see here today,” President Marcos said during the launching of the sardines manufacturing facility in Santo Tomas on Wednesday.
“This will greatly contribute to our efforts in ensuring food security and making seafood more convenient to consume for families across the country, especially during times of crises,” the President said.
“This project also supports the administration’s initiatives to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of No Poverty, Zero Hunger, and Decent Work and Economic Growth,” the chief executive added.
Furthermore, the project is also expected to generate more employment and economic opportunities for the people.
According to the President, the addition of the Mega Manufacturing Plant in Santo Tomas will also contribute to the achievement of the government’s target of a 10 percent annual increase in approved investments in the agribusiness sector, one of the key targets under the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan.
At the same time, the plant will help meet the rising local demand for canned sardines at a time the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, with its expected capacity to produce more than 11,600 metric tons.
This can fill 27 percent of estimated local supply insufficiency in canned sardines, Marcos said.
The President thanked Mega Prime Foods, Inc. for launching the facility, hoping the company will remain steadfast in its commitment to providing Filipino families with the most innovative, high-quality, and best value-for-money food products in the coming years.
Mega Global is the parent company of Mega Prime Foods, which started operations in 1975 as Wilmar Fishing, a small fishing company in the Bicol Region.
After decades of operations, the company moved to Zamboanga and engaged in canning operations. Wilmar Fishing became Mega Fishing Corp. in 1995, and in 2000, the Mega Sardines brand was launched.
Currently, Mega has two plants in Zamboanga that can produce 2.4 million cans of sardines per day. Mega also owns the largest fishing fleet in the country and has been in the export market for over 20 years.
The plant occupies an area of 20,000 square meters, with 3.6 hectares (ha) of land and 2.4 ha of building and warehouse, located along Maharlika Highway in the City of Santo Tomas.
It has state-of-the-art production machinery, a world-class research and development facility, a cold storage facility, and a modern steam-dry fishmeal plant.
The plant could process 50 metric tons (MT) of fish per day, adding 600,000 cans of sardines daily to the entire production line, which could also increase the country’s canned sardines’ production capacity by 9 percent. (PND)
