The Philippines’ Maharlika Investment Corp plans to invest as much as US$240 million in the country’s agriculture sector from 2026 to 2028, Rafael D. Consing Jr, president and chief executive officer of the sovereign wealth fund, says in an interview with Agri Investor, a UK publication.
He says Maharlika aims to help the Southeast Asian nation to increase its agricultural export potential by investing in “national champions”.
“The focus when it comes to agriculture, compared to the way we are doing it in energy and logistics and also mining, is quite different. In agriculture, we are looking for potential national champions,” Consing Jr is quoted as saying in the interview published on May 6.
He says the wealth fund is searching for areas in which its capital infusion can help catalyse the agriculture sector without diluting the existing pool of agrifood conglomerates in the country.
According to Consing Jr, Maharlika will initially act as more of a national development fund than a sovereign wealth fund for the agriculture sector. This, he says, means the fund will provide capital to boost export opportunities for agricultural companies and their ability to scale up production.
He says once they have scaled their production and built a stronger presence globally, Maharlika will bring on investors to buy a stake in these firms.
Consing Jr did not immediately respond to questions from Asia Asset Management.
