President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday threw his support behind efforts to modernize the country’s egg industry during a visit to the P300-million processing facility of the Batangas Egg Producers Multipurpose Cooperative (BEPCO) in the town of San Jose, accompanied by Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.
San Jose in Batangas, recognized under Republic Act No. 11707 as the “Egg Basket of the Philippines,” produces between 7 million and 10 million eggs daily depending on the season, and the new facility is designed to add value to that output as a key partner in the Department of Agriculture’s Egg Industry Development Project (EIDP).
Developed with technology from the Department of Science and Technology and funding from the Department of Agriculture, the project produces liquid and pasteurized eggs following Good Manufacturing Practices that boost food safety and extend shelf life. Secretary Tiu Laurel emphasized the initiative’s role in advancing national food security, noting it will help farmers preserve harvests, manage supply more efficiently, and raise the value of their produce. “Food security is not only about producing enough. It is also about assuring our farmers and egg producers to have stable livelihoods and incomes, while consumers have a steady and reasonable price supply,” he said. Improved processing and storage capacity will cut post-harvest losses, buffer both producers and buyers from supply swings, and keep egg products consistently available.
At the core of the facility is an upgraded pasteurization line processing 1,400 kilos of liquid egg—equal to 28,000 standard 50-gram eggs—per hour. Eggs are washed, broken, separated or combined, mixed, and pasteurized under controlled conditions before packaging, with every finished item undergoing strict quality checks including microbiological testing for Salmonella and proper labeling before release. This upgrade was backed by a P50-million EIDP grant. A matching P50-million DA grant also funded a three-story cold storage facility holding up to 80 tons of finished goods, with walk-in chillers kept at 0–4°C and freezers at minus 18°C; an advanced blast freezer cuts freezing time for liquid egg batches to just three hours from the usual eight, speeding storage while maintaining quality. Completing the setup is a spray drying system supported by DA funding and over P16 million in DOST equipment loans. The system turns liquid egg into powdered white, yolk and whole egg products, extending shelf life up to two years and opening new possibilities for storage, distribution and market reach.
Administration officials described the project as more than infrastructure—an investment in the industry that safeguards farmer incomes, cuts waste, stabilizes supply and helps maintain fair prices for consumers. It forms part of the broader Marcos administration drive to modernize agriculture by combining public investment, science and technology, and private sector collaboration to build a more efficient, resilient food supply chain across the country.
