Univet to put up swine multiplier farm

MANILA, Philippines - Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Co. (Unahco), a manufacturer and distributor of animal feed and healthcare products, is putting up a swine multiplier farm in Nueva Ecija.

The company invested P350 million to put up the 20-hectare hog-breeding facility that would initially house 450 breeder swine from Holland.

Ground breaking for the project is set for October, with commercial operations expected to start in 2016.

The swine breeding facility would supply parent stocks to small hog raisers in Nueva Ecija and nearby areas.

Unahco is the animal health unit of pharmaceutical company United Laboratories, Inc. It distributes veterinary and feed products for swine, poultry, game fowl, ducks, pigeons, aquaculture species and dogs.

Unahco has nine business units: Univet, Thunderbird, Pigrolac, Sarimanok Poultry feeds, Commercial Farm Group, Doggiessentials, United Agrivet Distribution, Unagri and Unahco International.

Unahco president and CEO Ricardo Alba said the company is diversifying into the production of breeder stock to take advantage of the lack of producers for parent stocks needed by small raisers.

The company would take advantage of its extensive dealer system in its Pigrolac swine feed unit which would distribute the hog parent stocks to small piggeries. 

“The farm is situated in such as way that it should be able to support the operations of northern Luzon,” said Alba.

He said the farm may eventually start supplying parent stocks to commercial farms.

The local livestock industry is among the strongest subsectors in the agriculture sector largely because it remains unscathed by foot-and-mouth (FMO) disease present in neighboring Asian countries such as China.

Unahco also plans to distribute veterinary products and poultry feeds in Indonesia to take advantage of the economic integration within the ASEAN region.

“We cannot just be sitting down, if they can come here, we can also go there,” said Alba.

Unahco is participating in this year’s Agrilink farm industry show which would be held at the World Trade Center from Oct. 9 to 11.

This year’s Agrilink exhibition highlights the need for a competitive agriculture business environment in line with the looming economic integration in the ASEAN region by 2015.