Korean firm eyes Tabuk as corn source for feeds

By Gigi Dumalig
PROSPECTIVE KOREAN INVESTMENT. Some executives of the KC Feed, a Korean company engaged in the production of animal feeds, along with some Korean government personnel visited Tabuk City July 17, 2008. They met with Mayor Camilo Lammawin, Jr. and agricultural personnel of Tabuk City and officials of the Department of Trade and Industry in the province regarding the possibility of investing in corn production in the city.** Photo by Estanislao Albano, Jr.

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - KC Feed Co. Ltd.., a Korean company producing feeds for poultry and swine, and several other products has placed Tabuk City in its list of sources of raw corn products for its feed processing business.

In a recent consultation meeting with the city government headed by mayor Camilo Lammawin Jr., the Korean company representatives said that they are ready to initially buy 20,000 metric tons of corn annually from the city.

In a response, city agriculturist Gilbert Cawis said that Tabuk can handle the demand citing that the city is currently utilizing a total of 3,000 hectares of farm lands for yellow corn production generating an average of 6 ,000 metric tons per hectare every cropping season.

Considering that farmers are harvesting twice a year, the 2,000 hectares could already produce around 26,000 metric tons and that production could still increase if additional 2,825 hectares of potential land will also be developed for the same purpose, Cawis said.

After the consultation, the Korean team conducted a field visit and made an on-the-spot soil test in one of the farms in Cudal, Tabuk.

They also visited some traders and trucking businesses in the locality to see the possibility of doing business with them especially in the exporting of corn products from the province.

If indeed the KD Feed Company will pour their investment in the province, corn farmers will be assured of a better market and will be encouraged to enhance their production and technical skills to meet international market demands, thus increasing their opportunities to earn more.

This development is an offshoot of the Arroyo administration’s economic efforts to make the country investment friendly making it a favored investment prospect by international business groups.**