THAILAND’s Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) plans to set up a food processing facility and distribution network in the Philippines within the next three years, officials said.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) made the announcement after sending a delegation to Thailand to explore best practices in farming, product development, and agricultural supply chain management.

The DA delegation led by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. toured the company’s Nong Chok factory, which processes 70,000 metric tons of food products, including fillets, ready meals, hams, and sausages, largely for export to Europe.

The delegation also visited CPF group company Makro, a wholesale retailer.

The DA said the delegation discussed bilateral trade opportunities and potential investments in Philippine agriculture with their Thai counterparts and the private sector.

Mr. Laurel paid a visit to his Thai counterpart, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat, and expressed the Philippines “openness to sourcing more rice, vegetables, poultry, and pork from Thailand.”

Mr. Narumon “expressed Thailand’s interest in exporting longan and poultry meat to the Philippines,” the DA said.

It said Mr. Laurel cited the Philippines’ desire to export Hass avocados and processed meats to Thailand. “We hope this recent visit will lead to greater trade between Manila and Bangkok, as well as more Thai investment in the Philippine agricultural sector,” he said.

“Thailand, a major rice exporter, offers many lessons in agricultural efficiency and food product exports to Europe.”

The DA team also visited several Thai agricultural projects to observe sustainable farming practices including the Cassava Collaborative Farm in Wang Muang, Saraburi, which practices a Bio-Circular-Green Economy model.

The team also visited an asparagus farm in Nakhon Pathom, inspecting efficient irrigation systems, contract farming practices, and implementation of farming and product standards, which have increased yields and incomes. The farm exports asparagus to Taiwan.

The Sanamchan Community Enterprise in Nakhon Pathom demonstrated the benefits of local wisdom, technology, and community resources in producing high-quality crispy vegetables and fruits for export, the DA said.

At the Asian Institute of Technology’s Smart Greenhouse, the delegation observed advanced climate control systems designed to optimize crop yields.

Potential collaborations were discussed regarding climate-resilient structures, crop varietal development, and sustainable agricultural and fisheries research, the DA said.

The delegation also visited major food and agricultural wholesale and retail markets, including Or Tor Kor, Simummuang, and Talaad Thai, which serve as critical hubs in Thailand’s agricultural supply chain, distributing fresh produce domestically and internationally.

“The visit to these markets provided the delegation with ideas to incorporate in the improvement plans for food terminals in the Philippines,” DA said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza