Mindanao-based company Maharlika Agro-Ventures Corporation is partnering with Danish company DanBred for high-quality sow production to assist farmers in repopulation efforts.
Vicente T. Lao, chair and chief executive officer of Maharlika Agro-Ventures Corp, said on Friday that his company in partnership with DanBred has put up a P2.8 billion investment for a genetic farm in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental.
Lao said it’s a 2,500 sow-level genetic farm of a very high GGP genetic category. He explained that “sow-level GGP” refers to sows in the Grandparent Generation (GGP), which are purebred sows, typically designated for the production of Parent Generation (GP) gilts, which are then used to create F1 hybrid parent gilts.
Lao said the farm will cover and cater to farms from Visayas and Mindanao and Maharlika is DanBred’s exclusive distributor of genetically-produced sows in Visayas and Mindanao.
He added that farmers can buy good quality sow piglets from them and use them for production.
“We considered ourselves a producer of genetics and we produce piglets that become sow. I think will be good for the industry because we will be able to produce a lot of good quality genetic sows that can produce a lot of piglets,” Lao said during Hukad Business Matters in Ayala Malls Abreeza.
Lao announced that the first tranche of pure breeds totalling to 997 pigs will be arriving on June 20, 2025, at the Davao International Airport. He said these are pure breeds of the male and female lines of pigs/sows.
“These genetic pure breeds that are coming will help improve the quality of our breed in Mindanao and Visayas because we will be able to grow sows that will be efficient and productive. With our sow you will go as high as 16 piglets,” he said.
Lao said this is his company’s effort to help the government lessen the problems faced by backyard farmers due to African Swine Fever (ASF).
“There are few programs that the government is rolling out in terms of food security. Kasi malaki ang nawala sa atin when we got hit with bird flu and ASF, especially sa ASF ang swine industry now the prices of pork are record high because of the shortage we had,” Lao said.
According to Lao, in the Philippine Pork Industry, more than 50% are produced by backyard producers and because of the logistic chain that is produced by backyard, it’s quite difficult to address the issue on ASF.
“Kasi ang backyard nagbebenta yan sila sa mga biyahero, these biyaheros go to one farm to the other to buy pigs, as they do that, they carry with them the virus of ASF around the farm kaya ang bilis ng kalat ng ASF sa atin.,” he said.
Lao explained that the government encourages more corporate farming to go into the supply chain.
“When you say corporate farming it means that the farms will be a little bigger and proper biosecurity are put in place. Sad to note kasi in the backyard scenario these are expensive protocols and sometimes that backyard farmers cannot put it in place,” he said.
He said the Philippines used to have 1.5 million producing sows but because of ASF, the current population is only about 700,000.
“So malaki ang nawala. It would take time for this to go back to its original level,” Lao said.
