Alburquerque Mayor Ritchie Buates said that a new investor has expressed intent to run the currently closed poultry dressing plant in the town which had drawn heavy flak from the public due to alleged sanitary violations.
The plant which was previously run by the family of former Alburquerque Mayor Efren Tungol is now owned by a bank, said Buates.
According to Buates, the facility’s prospective buyer, Rene Balandra, met with him and is expected to apply for permits.
“Naay bag-ong operator pero wa pa pud ni sukad ni apply. Ni duol na ni sa opisina pero nagplano pa ning mo apply pg business permit,” he said.
Buates assured that the local government unit will keep close watch on the plant should it resume its operations.
The plant was shut down last year due to the longstanding complaints of foul odor emitted by the facility.
The Tungols also failed to secure a sanitary permit for the poultry dressing plant.
Shutting down the facility was among the campaign promises of Buates who won against Tungol’s son Elpren in the 2019 polls.
“Ang Albur gi bantog na na ang landmark sa among lungsod kanang baho. Inig labay nimo sa Albur makahibaw na ang mga nagsakaya sa pasaheroan pampubliko na Albur na kay baho,” said Buates.
Earlier, the plant’s closure was pinpointed as cause for the shortage of poultry products in the province.
Buates admitted that the facility accounts for a large chunk of the province’s poultry supply but noted that the shortage is a nationwide issue.
Provincial veterinarian Bing Lapiz had also noted that the shortage was due to the halt in the operations of broiler producers amid the pandemic, particularly during the third quarter of 2020.
She said demand for poultry products plummeted during the height of the health crisis last year mostly due to the closure of hospitality establishments which prompted poultry raisers to downscale or stop their operations.
The Capitol official however is optimistic that the industry is set for a rebound as the government started to ease quarantine restrictions. (A. Doydora)