THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Sunday that the opening of Universal Robina Corp.’s (URC) flour milling factory in Quezon province is expected to improve the availability of flour.
In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said that the facility will ensure the availability of “high-quality flour, a vital ingredient in many staple food products like bread, pasta, cereals, and crackers.”
The facility, in Sariaya, Quezon, has a daily production capacity of 1,320 metric tons (MT).
URC’s new flour milling facility has an annual production capacity of 297,000 MT of flour and 99,000 MT of bran and pollard, byproducts of the milling process used in animal feed.
“Flour is integral to our economy, from family dining tables to large-scale food production,” Mr. Laurel added.
The P5.4-billion mill is set to start commercial operations by January, directly employing 102 workers.
The DA said that the plant is expected to “play a key role in ensuring a stable and affordable supply of products.”
“It features a fully automated milling technology that will streamline flour production, storage, and packaging processes,” it added.
According to a report from the US Department of Agriculture, the Philippines is expected to import 7 million MT of wheat next year amid the rise in demand for both milling and animal-feed quality grain. — Adrian H. Alternate
