DA allots P180M for construction of 5 triple A slaughterhouses

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture is willing to allocate an initial P180 million from its budget to put up at least five triple A slaughterhouses, with blast freezing equipment, in selected areas in Luzon.

This was announced yesterday by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala as part of the DA’s import substitution program to wean local mean processors away from imported meats.

Alcala made the announcement during the 39th anniversary of the National Meat Inspection Service held at its Visayas Ave. office in Quezon City.

Alcala has reached a breakthrough in convincing local pork producers to finally supply pork parts to local meat processors who normally have to depend on imported pork parts for their raw materials.

In the past, local pork producers insisted on selling the whole pig even though the processors have no need for some of the parts.

However, the DA, along with pork producers and meat processors still have to meet to thresh out details of the slaughterhouse projects.

According to Alcala, even President Aquino has expressed his support for the program, and his willingness to extend additional financial support for such a program.

The P180 million will fund the construction of five triple A slaughterhouses with blast freezing equipment in selected areas in Luzon where pork producers.

Pork producers would supply the live hogs, while the meat processors would buy the processed meats parts.

However, Edward Chen of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines and Francisco Buencamino of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) stressed the need for the project to be under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programs to ensure that it is operated professionally and meets international quality standards.

Chen acknowledged that the local pork sector now realizes the need to be more competitive and supply local meat processors their requirements.