Thai firm sets $1-B hog plan to help restore local supply

Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corp. (CPF), the local arm of Thai food Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC, is set to invest $1 billion over the next five years to boost hog production and help restore the country’s swine population to pre-African swine fever (ASF) levels by 2028.

“This CPF expansion aligns perfectly with the vision of a zero-kilometer food system — producing food where it’s needed — and advancing agricultural investment to create jobs and ensure food security,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Thursday.

Locate near tourist hubs

Tiu Laurel also urged CPF to situate some facilities near tourist hubs to help lower food costs, as the company evaluates nine nationwide sites for 20-hectare agro-industrial complexes.

According to CPF executive vice president Sakol Cheewakoset, each facility will include both feed production and hog processing operations, with an estimated cost of $125 million per site.

The feed plants are expected to produce around 10,000 tons per month, requiring corn from 5,000 hectares.

Hog production nationwide

The company also plans to raise its hog production from the current 1.3 million heads to 7 million by 2030 — 4.8 million in Luzon, 1 million in the Visayas and 1.2 million in Mindanao.

To recall, the Department of Agriculture has already outlined a repopulation program — including ASF vaccination and breeder distribution — to restore pre-pandemic hog levels within three years.

Supporting this effort, the recently signed Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act allocates roughly P20 billion annually over the next decade for livestock, poultry, and dairy development, with nearly one-fifth earmarked specifically for hog repopulation.

Since the first ASF outbreak in 2019, the national swine population has fallen from 13 million to roughly 8 million heads.