DA speeds up construction of major Clark food hub

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is accelerating the development of a major food hub in Clark, Pampanga, to streamline food distribution and help lower costs for consumers.

The DA said that about P4 billion has been committed to the project, and construction of its first phase is underway. Partial operations are targeted before the end of 2027.

“The project is intended to close a critical gap between farm production and markets, where inefficient logistics erode farmers’ earnings, discourage private investments, and increase costs for consumers,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement over the weekend.

Article continues after this advertisement

“We cannot build a modern agriculture sector if our farmers can produce more but cannot get their products to markets efficiently and profitably,” Tiu Laurel added.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

READ: FTI lays out P20B on ‘mega’ food hubs

State-run Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) and Clark International Airport Corp. signed agreements for the Clark mega food hub, which will rise on a 40-hectare land at the Clark Aviation Capital.

With provisions for future expansion, the food hub will integrate food aggregation, storage, processing, distribution and marketing in one system. It will house food and cold-storage facilities, processing areas, food safety laboratories, export processing facilities and wholesale and retail spaces.

READ: Marcos rolls out gov’t projects in Pampanga

Article continues after this advertisement

The DA will oversee project implementation and construction monitoring while FTI will operate, manage and maintain the facility.

Dedicated team

To achieve efficient and sustainable operations, FTI president and CEO Joseph Rudolph Lo said they have formed a dedicated team that has studied food hub models and logistics practices abroad.

Article continues after this advertisement

It also visited similar projects in Thailand, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Japan to examine best practices that could be adapted to the Philippine setting.

The DA said the Clark food hub is expected to support about 2,500 jobs and create opportunities across the agriculture and fisheries value chains. /cb