Maguindanao opens Halal hatchery, dressing plant

BULUAN,Maguindanao - A modern Halal hatchery and poultry dressing plant was inaugurated in simple ceremonies yesterday in Buluan, Maguindanao, marking another positive development in a province whose name was synonymous to conflict and bloodshed years back.Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife and siblings were among those who were killed in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre in November 2008, said that the project is expected to provide livelihood and income to hundreds of poor Muslim families through a growership program.The hatchery will initially produce 60,000 broiler chicks every week while the dressing plant has the capacity to process 30,000 to 60,000 heads of broilers everyday.Chicks produced from the hatchery will be grown in facilities inside the project site and in the homes of out-growers who will receive facilities from the Department of Agriculture.Feeds and supervision will also be provided by the facility to Muslim families involved in the grow-out.Built and operated following Halal standards, the hatchery and dressing plant is one of the most modern ever to be built in Central Mindanao area.Halal poultry products have a niche market and the potential of Maguindanao as a major poultry production area is bolstered by the fact that it is a major corn-production province.Gov. Mangudadatu said the facility will officially start its commercial operations by the end of March this year.