By Prince Golez
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assured the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group of the government’s support as it rolls out its plans and programs for the country’s agriculture sector.
In his meeting with executives of CP Group in Malacañang, Marcos Jr. also cited other concerns to address such as the aging farmers, emergence of swine and avian flu, among others.
“We know that the government has a part to play. It’s not only the private sector partner. The government has a part to play to support the program and that’s something that we have to decide,” he said.
For its part, the CP Group committed to bringing state-of-the-art technology and training to young Filipinos for them to lead in modern farming.
The company plans to invest US$2.5 billion from 2023 to 2027, covering swine (US$1.3 billion), poultry (US$280 million), shrimp (US$800 million), and food (US$120 million).
It also requested government assistance in locating suitable land covering 400 hectares for aquaculture (shrimp) and 300 hectares for swine and poultry, including eggs.
CP Group is a conglomerate comprising multiple business entities in different industries under one corporate group.
One of the many affiliates in the CP Group is the Charoen Pokphan Foods Public Company Limited (CPF) that operates integrated agro-industrial and food business, including livestock and aquaculture such as swine, broiler, layer, duck, shrimp and fish, retail and food outlets.
The CPF’s subsidiary, Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippine Corporation (CPFPC), is the largest and most significant Thai investment in Philippine agriculture.
The Group, led by Chairman Soopakij Chaeravanont, previously met with Marcos Jr. on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Thailand in November 2022.
