{"id":27868,"date":"2026-06-22T12:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T05:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poultryindonesia.com\/?p=27868"},"modified":"2026-06-23T10:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T03:08:55","slug":"targeting-gradual-expansion-wmu-poised-to-become-the-largest-cage-free-egg-producer-in-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poultryindonesia.com\/en\/targeting-gradual-expansion-wmu-poised-to-become-the-largest-cage-free-egg-producer-in-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Targeting Gradual Expansion, WMU Poised to Become the Largest Cage-Free Egg Producer in Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"
POULTRYINDONESIA, Jakarta<\/b> \u2013 Public awareness of food products that are not only healthy and safe but also pay attention to animal welfare has continued to rise in recent years. In line with this trend, the demand for cage-free eggs has shown consistent growth. This condition has prompted several egg producers to consider transforming or expanding their cage-free production capacities. One of the most progressive is PT Widodo Makmur Unggas Tbk (WMU), which through its development plans has the potential to become the largest cage-free egg producer in Southeast Asia.<\/h6>\n
Marketing Director of WMU, Tri Mahawijaya Herlambang, stated that the cage-free egg market in Indonesia continues to develop. According to him, this growth is driven not only by multinational food companies but also by an increasing number of local business actors and companies starting to switch to cage-free eggs.<\/h6>\n
“To meet the continuously growing market demands, WMU is expanding its cage-free egg farm capacity gradually, from the current population of around 200,000 layer chickens to 500,000 birds, which is targeted for completion by 2027. We are optimistic that the demand for cage-free eggs will continue to rise. Therefore, we are preparing production capacity from now on to be ready to anticipate spikes in demand that can happen at any time,” Mahawijaya said in Jakarta, Friday (19\/6\/2026).<\/h6>\n
Currently, cage-free eggs produced by WMU are marketed through a business-to-business (B2B) scheme to various customer segments, ranging from catering companies, hotel chains, and restaurants to fast-food outlets. In addition, WMU is also preparing to launch its own cage-free egg brand to target the retail market.<\/h6>\n
\u201cThis development is not intended to replace existing markets, but rather to open up a new segment with higher added value while answering the needs of consumers who are increasingly concerned about sustainability, food safety, and animal welfare. On the other hand, as a public company, WMU also has a commitment to sustainability aspects. The implementation of animal welfare through cage-free farming systems is a concrete form of fulfilling that commitment,\u201d he added.<\/h6>\n
Responding to the expansion plan, Sandi Dwiyanto, Sustainable Poultry Program Manager of Lever Foundation, expressed his appreciation for WMU’s steps in expanding cage-free production capacity in Indonesia. According to him, the rising commitment of consumers and business actors to sustainability and food quality opens up greater opportunities for the growth of the cage-free egg market.<\/h6>\n
\u201cIn recent years, the demand for cage-free eggs has continued to rise, especially from the retail sector, hotels, restaurants, FMCG companies, and food services. Currently, more than 2,000 global food companies have made commitments to source 100 percent cage-free eggs, including various international brands operating in Indonesia such as KFC, Burger King, Hyatt, Marriott, and Swiss-Belhotel International. At the same time, more and more domestic companies are starting to implement or are transitioning toward cage-free egg procurement policies, such as Super Indo, Ismaya Group, Bali Buda, Jiwa Jawi, and many more,\u201d Sandi explained.<\/h6>\n
The growth of cage-free products is also reflected in the survey results from GMO Research, a market research company and consumer panel provider from Japan. The survey shows that 55 percent of Indonesian consumers prefer to buy products from brands that only use cage-free eggs. In addition, 72 percent of respondents agree that eggs used by food companies should originate from farms that implement animal welfare standards.<\/h6>\n
On the other hand, a cross-country study conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) shows that cage-free egg farms have up to a 25-times lower risk of contamination by certain strains of Salmonella bacteria compared to conventional cage system farms.<\/h6>\n
\u201cIn addition to being driven by market demand and product quality aspects, WMU’s expansion is also aligned with the issuance of Ministerial Regulation of Agriculture (Permentan) Number 32 of 2025 regarding the Implementation of Animal Welfare. We hope WMU’s steps can inspire more egg producers in Indonesia to start preparing themselves to face evolving market needs. We will also continue to support the reinforcement of the cage-free ecosystem in Indonesia so that market demand growth and supply availability can go hand in hand,\u201d Sandi concluded.<\/h6>\n
Get more information about the Poultry Industry in Indonesia by joining us on the Poultry Indonesia WhatsApp Channel.<\/em><\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

POULTRYINDONESIA, Jakarta \u2013 Public awareness of food products that are not only healthy and safe but also pay attention to animal welfare has continued to rise in recent years. In line with this trend, the demand for cage-free eggs has shown consistent growth. This condition has prompted several egg producers to consider transforming or expanding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[45,38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n