CARMEN, North Cotabato (MindaNews / 24 April) – Carmen Mayor Rogelio Taliño led groundbreaking rites here Monday for the construction of a $10-million Thai-backed palm oil crushing mill.
The mayor said the year-long construction of the mill that will serve planters in North Cotabato and neighboring provinces will start this month.
The Univanich Carmen Palm Oil Corporation (UCPOC) behind the milling plant is backed by the Univanich Palm Oil Public Company of Thailand.
Univanich-Thailand chairman Apirag Vanich, together with his wife Charntip Vanich, graced the occasion.
Established in 1969, Univanich pioneered the planting of oil palm in Thailand. It operates a palm oil exporting facility at the port of Laemphong in Krabi province.
Univanich also operates Thailand’s first laboratory for oil palm tissue culture that produces high yielding clones in support to its breeding program.
“This is a dream-come true project of my father,” said North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, the mayor’s daughter.
She encouraged farmers to plant oil palm to augment their income.
The governor claimed that the recent entry of new investments in the province is proof to the stable political, economic and socio-cultural conditions in the area.
Univanich said the facility will have a crushing capacity of 30 tons of fresh fruit bunches per hour. The company said it will purchase oil palm fresh fruits from local farmers and will produce crude palm oil for sale both in the local and export markets.
The company expects that the milling facility will contribute significantly to the economic prosperity and stability of small farmers in different communities in the province and will cater employment to residents. (MindaNews)
