N. Cotabato board member pushes for chicken dressing plant in Midsayap
AGRICULTURE • 17:00 PM Tue Nov 27, 2018
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
North Cotabato Board Member Socrates Pinol speaking to future journalists in recent gathering. (contributed photo)
MIDSAYAP,
North Cotabato – One of the most improved towns in North Cotabato
should have its own broiler chicken industry, a provincial board member on Tuesday
said.
Midsayap
should develop its own broiler industry because of its huge market, North
Cotabato 3rd District Board Member Socrates Pinol said.
He was in
Midsayap as guest speaker of the town’s Sinugba Festival as part of its
foundation anniversary.
The young
Pinol is seeking the vice gubernatorial post of North Cotabato in next year’s
election with Rep. Nancy Catamco (for governor) as his running mate.
Pinol, younger
brother of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol, believed that now is the time
Midsayap, the center of commerce and trade in North Cotabato’s first district,
should have its own broiler industry.
I was
surprised to learn that broiler chicken supplies sold at the town’s public
market were from Davao and Gen. Santos City chicken suppliers, Pinol said in a
statement.
The demand for
broiler chicken is huge in Midsayap, he added, thus the need for local broiler
chicken suppliers.
Midsayap is
the center of commerce and trade of adjoining towns of Pigcawayan, Libungan,
Alamada, Aleosan and Pikit in North Cotabato.
Even consumers
from some towns in Maguindanao get chicken supplies in Midsayap, Pinol was told
by vendors.
Midsayap Mayor
Romeo Arania told Pinol that the 500 kilos of dressed chicken a day is not
enough for Midsayap alone.
Pinol said he
will suggest to Sec. Pinol to let the Bureau of Animal Industry and the
National Meat Inspection System to put up chicken mini dressing plant in
Midsayap.
This irony of
all ironies, Pinol said, pointing that the PPALMA (acronym for the adjoining
towns of Pigcawayan-Pikit-Alamada-Libungan-Midsayap-Aleosan) is the leading
supplier of yellow corn, the main ingredients in feeds production for chicken
and hogs.
The coming of
a dressing plant in Midsayap will also help yellow corn farmers because buying
prices of corn are expected to rise.
Pinol said he
expect prices of dressed chicken to drop because there will be no
transportation cost from Davao or Gen. Santos to Midsayap.
The prevailing
price of dressed chicken per kilo in Midsayap is at P160.
He pointed out
of a chain reaction to local economy once the chicken dressing plant is
established in Midsayap and the chicken industry will flourish. (Edwin O.
Fernandez)