Dressing Plant of Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc.
On our sixth day in the City of Ilagan, after breakfast at our hotel, we again boarded our coaster and proceeded, on a short 5.4-km. drive, to Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc. (SAPI), a homegrown private integrated agricultural company duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for a plant visit. The company currently operates a modern dressing plant and state-of-the-art machinery for grains processing. It is also the manufacturer and official distributor of frozen poultry products which include Dragon’s Prime Juicy Delight and Super Fresh.
Media group being briefed by Mr. Julius A. Gamayon, SAPI Chief Operating Officer, before entering the dressing plant
Upon arrival at the Poultry Dressing Plant, we were welcomed by Mr. Jose Avelino C. Diaz, SAPI’s President and CEO, and Mr. Julius A. Gamayon, SAPI Chief Operating Officer. We later interviewed Mr. Diaz inside his office. Established on July 18, 2016, SAPI’s initial line of business consisted of poultry production, hog-raising, fish production, and grains trading. In 2017, the company’s rapid growth allowed it to expand its business into grains and meat processing, trucking, construction and real estate.
Interviewing Mr. Avelino C. Diaz (wearing blue shirt), SAPI’s President and CEO, at his office
In 2018, it expanded its meat processing unit, with the establishment of Sagittarian Meat Processing, and launched several food counter outlets to promote the products, food counter outlets under the trade name The Chicken Place, initially installing them within the city of Ilagan and, later, expanding into the nearby towns in Isabela and Cagayan.
Newly-slaughtered chickens being conveyed, by a conveyor machine, for evisceration
In December 2020, despite the ongoing pandemic, the company managed to respond to the need for fresh and affordable products by establishing Juicy Delight which carries locally produced products such as hotdogs, Hungarian sausages, longganisa, embotido, burger patties, nuggets, ham and other chicken marinated products.
The evisceration process wherein the feathers, feet and internal organs of the chicken are removed
That same month, Charoen Pokphand Foods Corp (CPF), the No. 1 agro-industrial company of Thailand), in partnership with SAPI, inaugurated a new 2400-sow swine breeding complex which will be a source of quality breeder stocks for herd restocking and repopulation.
The cleaning and chilling process
On August 10, 2021, recognizing the need innovate and capture a bigger market, SAPI signed an incubation agreement, with the Isabela State University Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubation (ISU-ATBI) Project (under the National ATBI Program of the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatics and Natural Resources Research and Development), to expand the company’s product line, enrolling at the ISU-ATBI incubation program managed by ISU-CVSRRC, iIn partnership with Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC)- Isabela, which will assist SAPI in developing canned chicken products utilizing the developed meat canning technology of ISU-CVSRRC.
The Chicken Processing Plant
The canned products, utilizing SAPI’s own locally produced meat (making cost of production lower as compared to other food processors), will be sold as ready-to-eat products and designed to be responsive to the present needs of the consumers. Aside from developing canned products, ISU-ATBI also provided services in brand marketing, e-commerce and financial management. This technology-based food processing boosts food processing industry in the province by utilizing locally produced raw materials.
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On May 17, 2024, CPF, together with SAPI, broke ground for the new Php1.8 billion feedmill complex in Brgy. Cabannungan 2, a big boost for corn farmers as it will assure them a ready market for their produce, at a good price.
Mr. Diaz (third from right) briefing us on the plant’s operation and finished products
During our Poultry Dressing Plant visit, we also observed how the chickens were processed by trained workers and automated equipment. The evisceration process (removal of feathers, feet and internal organs, washing of carcasses, inspection, chilling and testing) is highly automated, with machines conducting most of the activity.
The steam retort machine (Andi Machinery Technology Co., Td.)
We next transferred to the nearby Chicken Processing Plant. Here, highly efficient sterilization of packaged chicken is achieved via retort processing, using a steam retort machine (Andi Machinery Technology Co., Td.). It consists of sterilizing, pasteurizing, or cooking a product (and its packaging), eradicating any microorganisms and extending a product’s shelf life (anywhere from one year to 26 months in the right ambient conditions), so that it is both safe and of high quality.
The frozen dressed whole chicken of Super Fresh
Then, for frozen dressed chicken products, the workers cut and debone the chicken carcasses to become different products (wings, drumsticks, breast, etc.) or leave them whole.
The high-speed, fully automated Utrust Pack aluminum vacuum can sealing machine
For canned products, the chicken are cut up into parts and canned (round) using a high-speed, fully automated Utrust Pack aluminum vacuum can sealing machine which removes air from the package, via a vacuum pump, prior to sealing.
The already sealed, but still unlabelled, cans rolling down the canning line
The finished products are then bagged and/or boxed and shipped (frozen dressed chicken products in a refrigerated truck), to grocery stores, supermarkets or distribution centers.
The canned products (Chicken Adobo, Chicken Afritada, Chicken Kaldereta and Corned Chicken) of Juicy Delight
Sagittarian Agricultural Philippines, Inc. (SAPI): Brgy. Santa Victoria, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Mobile number: 0916 514 0813. E-mail: juicydelight13@gmail.com. Website: www.sagittarianagri.net.
City Tourism Office: 2/F, City Hall Bldg., 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 624-1511. E-mail: tourism@cityofilagan.gov.ph.
City of Ilagan Tourist Information and Assistance Center: Bonifacio Park, 3300 City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 324-7769. E-mail: ilaganinfocenter@gmail.com.
Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146. Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820. E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.
Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248. Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555. E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.
How to Get There: The City of Ilagan is located 429.3 kms. (an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cauayan City.