DA: Local hog industry to benefit from CPF’s $1-B expansion plan

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday welcomed Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippines Corp.’s (CPF) $1-billion five-year expansion plan to boost its hog production capacity in the country.

In a news release, Tiu Laurel said the Thailand-based CPF’s expansion initiative would help restore the Philippines' swine population to pre-African Swine Fever (ASF) levels by 2028.

“This CPF expansion aligns perfectly with President Marcos Jr.’s vision of a zero-kilometer food system—producing food where it’s needed—and advancing agricultural investment to create jobs and ensure food security,” the Agriculture chief said.

Under its plan, CPF is targeting to raise its hog production capacity from 1.3 million heads currently to seven million by 2030, to be distributed as 4.8 million in Luzon, one million in the Visayas, and 1.2 million in Mindanao. 

CPF is also evaluating nine locations nationwide for agro-industrial complexes, each covering roughly 20 hectares. 

Each site will feature feed production and hog processing facilities, with each complex costing about $125 million to build. 

Feed plants are expected to produce around 10,000 tons per month, which would require corn output from 5,000 hectares.

Tiu Laurel said CPF’s plan signals a major push for the local pork industry, focusing on enhanced production capacity, farm modernization, and greater support for local pig farmers. 

“For the Department of Agriculture, the expansion represents a strategic partnership with the private sector to achieve long-term recovery and growth in the hog industry—a crucial pillar of the nation’s food supply and a key driver of rural employment,” he said.

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

The DA had laid out a repopulation plan, which includes vaccination against ASF and distribution of breeders, that aims to reach the pre-pandemic hog population within the next three years.

Marcos also signed the Animal Industry Development and Competitiveness Act, which allocates roughly P20 billion annually over the next decade to develop the livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors, with nearly one-fifth of the funding earmarked for hog repopulation. —VBL, GMA Integrated News