Cargill invested US$12 million to open the plant, where 50 local employees will produce animal nutrition premix solutions, made available to customers under the Provimi brand. An opening ceremony was held yesterday at the plant, located in First Bulacan Industrial Park in Malolos, Bulacan.

"The Philippines and Southeast Asian countries are seeing increased consumer demand for meat products, especially pork and chicken. This is great news for the growth potential of local livestock farms and feed millers," said Noel Kim, general manager of Cargill Provimi, Philippines.

"At our premix plant, Cargill can now manufacture the animal nutrition products these producers need to sustainably deliver high quality, safe, affordable meat to consumers."

Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad praised Cargill’s presence in the area as a boon for the local community.

"The City of Malolos is appreciative of Cargill's presence, a big boost to our cities' economic and employment opportunities. We hope to reciprocate by providing all the needed assistance and better business ambience to make Cargill's project a success," Mayor Natividad said.

Chuck Warta, president, Cargill Premix and Nutrition said, "Cargill is committed to the Philippines and Southeast Asia. With the population and income growth driving demand for animal protein in the region, Cargill knows how important it is to invest here, supporting local farmers and creating additional job opportunities as a result of our growth."

For his part, Ralph Bean, Agricultural Counselor at USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, commended the investment. He said, "This plant is one of Cargill’s, and one of US Agriculture’s many investments in Philippine Agriculture, and it heralds a strong partnership and a bright future for all going forward. The plant will provide products that will enable Philippine farmers to ensure greater productivity, reliability, and quality in the end products that go onto Philippine dinner tables."

The premix plant is one of two important plant openings for Cargill in the Philippines this week, as the company also announced the opening of a poultry processing facility, which is a joint venture with Jollibee in Batangas. The two plants strengthen the company’s presence in Asia Pacific, where Cargill employs 54,000 employees across 16 countries.