PILMICO Foods Corp. has echoed the government’s assurance the country has sufficient food supply amid uncertainties brought about by the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Pilmico’s business continuity plans are in place and running and this has allowed us to operate business as usual to meet the needs of our stakeholders. We have rigorously implemented our strict biosecurity processes to ensure the safety of our teams who report to work and our supply chain has remained largely intact during the various enhanced community quarantines that have been implemented across the country,” said Tristan Aboitiz, Pilmico president and chief executive officer.
In a statement, Aboitiz, said Pilmico’s facilities are prepared to continuously cater to the requirements and needs of customers, adding the situation is “well within manageable levels.”
“Our company remains committed to helping sustain the food value chain by consistently being present and delivering raw materials needed to continue food production. The flour and feed mills in Iligan and Tarlac, as well as farms, continue to operate, serving the needs of the customers despite challenges in logistics and distribution which can be attributed to COVID-19,” Aboitiz added.
Pilmico said its Southeast Asian facilities are operating normally as well.
“We are currently focused on ensuring that our current production facilities across the (Southeast Asian) region are optimized and that utilization is maintained at a high level so that we can adequately cater to the needs of our customers. Needless to say, this includes integrating seamlessly with Food Group Philippines, in order to optimize synergies in procurement and cross-selling across countries,” said Hubert de Roquefeuil, Pilmico and Gold Coin Food Group president and chief executive officer.
Pilmico also reiterated the Department of Agriculture’s projections that by the end of December 2020, the country will have 94 days’ worth for rice, 234 days for corn, two days for fish, six days for vegetables and 253 days for chicken.
