SARIAYA, PHILIPPINES — Universal Robina Corp. (URC) celebrated the opening of its new flour mill in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines, on Dec. 2. It is scheduled to start commercial operations in January and will employ 102 workers.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., who attended the grand opening, lauded Universal Robina Corp.’s investment in the flour mill, calling it “a significant step in enhancing the country’s food security and agricultural sector.”

The plant, located on 10 hectares, is the third facility of its kind under URC, the food manufacturing arm of the Gokongwei Group. The mill has an annual production capacity of 297,000 tonnes of flour and 99,000 tonnes of bran and pollard, the company said. The mill features fully automated milling technology that will streamline flour production, storage, and packaging processes, the company said.

Laurel cited the crucial role the facility would play in ensuring steady availability of high-quality flour, a vital ingredient in many staple food products like bread, pasta, cereals and crackers.

“Flour is integral to our economy, from family dining tables to large-scale food production,” he said. He noted that the plant’s daily production capacity of 1,320 tonnes will significantly contribute to meeting the nutritional needs of millions of Filipinos.

URC also has mills in Manila and Davao, which have a combined milling capacity of 1,250 tonnes per day.

Laurel said the facility represents a critical link in strengthening the nation’s agricultural value chain, with URC’s commitment to innovation and productivity setting a positive example for the private sector’s role in national development.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Universal Robina Corporation Chairman Lance Gokongwei, Secretary Conrado Estrella of the Department of Agrarian Reform, and local Quezon government officials also attended the event.Will have annual production capacity of nearly 300,000 tonnes