Cargill looks at the feasibility of investing in Philippine poultry industry

Cargill, a global agriculture producer and trader, is looking at the feasibility of investing in the poultry industry of the Philippines.

Cargill Asia Pacific Region chairman Alan Willits was quoted by Business World Online as saying: "We’re thinking of what we can do to accelerate our activities here. We have growth in our animal nutrition business.

"We’re looking in getting into new things like poultry in the Philippines, we think that’s an interesting area. That would be an area we are hoping to make an investment in, in the near future, certainly within the year. Tens and tens of millions (of dollars), for now. It’s currently under study."

Cargill’s operates an animal nutrition business, and the expansion in the poultry industry will complement this.

Currently, Cargill runs animal feed mills in Pangasinan, Bulacan, and Misamis Oriental.

The Philippine unit initially began exporting coconut products for Cargill’s vegetable oil unit in the US.

Cargill has a dry coconut crushing facility in General Santos City.

Cargill wants to expand in the Philippines due to enhanced infrastructure and a balanced regulatory structure.

Although Africa has agricultural capability, it lack infrastructure, said Willits.

"It’s about creating the infrastructure. We see countries with great potential, but have inability to move it from areas of production to areas of demand."