Abella wants Halal abattoir in Toril

DAVAO City Councilor Marissa Salvador- Abella is pushing for the construction of a Halal slaughterhouse within the proposed Agri-Pinoy Trading Center in a 5-hectare National Development Corporation (NDC)’s property in Daliao, Toril.
“I will be passing a resolution by Tuesday (next week) for the establishment of the Halal slaughterhouse within the NDC property in Toril,” Abella, who chairs City Council’s committee on agriculture, told reporters yesterday.
Abella said an investor from Dubai has expressed interest to invest in the construction of the halal abattoir.
“If implemented, this will be the first Halal slaughter house not only in Davao City but also in the region,” said Abella, who graced the groundbreaking ceremony of Seawind, a medium-rise project of the Damosa Land Inc.
She said other provinces are also looking forward on the construction of the slaughterhouse because of the huge market opportunity in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim barren countries.
Her fellow councilor Antoinette Principe-Castrodes, Abella said, has gone to Dubai recently and met an interested investor who is willing to pour money for the setting up of the structure.
Abella, however, said she was not privy on how much will be the investment because another councilor had talked to the investor.
Abella said she envisions the proposed slaughterhouse to be just within the proposed Agri-Pinoy Trading Center and to cater to farmers who want their non-pork meats like chicken goats and cows processed.
“There is already a market for halal meat. We expected that once operational, our farmers will be able to export it to Muslim countries,” she said.
Halal-certified meat products produced in the slaughterhouse will not be only catering the Mindanao market but also the huge potential market of Middle East and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines- East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
“Brunei, for instance, has a demand of 1,000 heads of goats,” Abella said.
Meanwhile, Abella said her committee is working on the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the City Government of Davao and the Department of Agriculture for the construction of the 70-million facility.
“We’re targeting to finish the papers before the election ban,” she said.
The food trading center will be the drop-off point for vegetable and fruit products of farmers coming as far as Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte. Cheneen R. Capon