MIF eyes investment in agribusiness in H1

Sovereign wealth fund manager Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) seeks to close strategic agribusiness deals within the first six months of 2026, backing firms ready to scale production and expand the country’s export capacity.

In a statement on Monday, MIC said it will focus on special situations and strategic mergers and acquisitions in the agricultural sector. It is looking at businesses with strong export potential and a significant labor component (most of which are run by corporate farms and big enterprises, rather than small cottage industries).

“Our goal is to back companies ready to scale—providing the resources to improve efficiency and increase export volume, which in turn secures and generates vital employment,” said MIC President/CEO Rafael Jose D. Consing Jr.

Consing said MIC’s objective for this year is to invest in structural bottlenecks where measurable efficiency can be generated.

MIC has entered into a partnership with Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group to establish a private equity fund to raise up to $1 billion in capital.

Aside from agriculture, MIC will also allocate capital across energy, logistics and mining.

“This ‘sectoral and tactical’ approach prioritizes assets that resolve structural chokepoints and unlock export capacity, ensuring the fund drives both financial returns and economic efficiency,” MIC said.

The fund also eyes investing in the upgrade and modernization of rural electricity infrastructure to stabilize power supply, energize “last mile” communities and spur economic growth.

MIC has identified mining as a structural approach to diversifying its portfolio, with a strategy focused on responsible extraction and domestic processing.

The sector not only contributes to national output and the government’s 5-percent GDP growth target but also serves as a strategic hedge against long-term currency volatility and global inflationary pressures.

“By marrying ‘intelligent capital’ with national imperatives, MIC will contribute to a more diversified and resilient Philippine economy,” Consing said.

On logistics, MIC said its stake in Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) will ensure stable, long-term cash flows while reinforcing key trade corridors needed for economic expansion.

MIC operates under Republic Act No. 11954, which established the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) and set the legal framework for its creation, capitalization, governance and operations.

Its mandate is to manage the MIF to generate optimal financial returns and catalyze growth by investing in high-impact sectors critical to national progress.

MIC has a total initial capital of P75 billion, of which P50 billion and P25 billion came from the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, respectively. The national government will provide the remaining P50 billion.