BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES — San Miguel Pure Foods said on July 22 in a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it plans to double the flour milling capacity of San Miguel Mills, Inc. through an expansion and construction of two new mills in the Philippines.

Work is set to begin in September on expansion of the company’s flour milling facility in Batangas. Part of the 1,800-tonne-per-day capacity expansion program is the construction of two new milling facilities in other parts of the country. The company is investing $70 million to $92.5 million on the program.

“This expansion will allow us to meet the growing demands of the domestic and regional flour market," said Ramon S. Ang, president of Pure Foods parent San Miguel Corp., to local news agencies. “At the same time, this will also do a lot in helping stabilize or drive down local flour prices as well as prices of commodities using flour.”

Ang told the news agencies that several European companies have expressed interest in partnering with the company. He said the mills will be more advanced than any in the country today and will be geared toward serving the needs of the future.

“They will be able to produce many types and grades of flour, including some not currently available locally, to cater to the needs of an increasingly demanding and sophisticated market,” he said.