Major international food groups expressed interest to participate in the planned P8.5-billion National Food Hub that will rise within the boundaries of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) in Clark Freeport.
Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said two of the world’s best food hubs—the El Mercato Centrale in Spain and the Rungis International Market in France—are keen on the proposed Philippine food hub.
“We still do not know what their participation will be. But we will definitely use them as working models for our own food hub,” Pascual said the sidelines of the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CIAC Monday at the Board of Investments (BOI).
The Rungis International Market is the world’s largest known food market located at the outskirts of Paris.
The MOU on Collaborative Support for the Development of the National Food Hub is a strategic partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA) and CIAC.
The MOU aims to enhance food security, empower farmers and the private sector, strengthen food supply canon and logistics systems and facilitate infrastructure development.
The DTI will lead initiatives related to supply chain and trade facilitation, the DA will focus on policy frameworks and support services for agriculture, while the CIAC will spearhead the development of the proposed food hub within the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
CIAC president and chief executive Arrey Perez said the collaboration seeks to revolutionize the country’s food distribution system and contribute to the nation’s socio-economic development.
“We can be a mega aggregator and an aggressor for efficiency of food and commodities. At the grassroots level, we’re going to empower farmers, the livestock growers and fishermen to be more competitive in a platform, so there’s higher visibility for farmers and growers with the markets, retailers, restaurants and other stakeholders in the food industry,” he said.
The food hub will occupy about 60 to 64 hectares of the 1,441 hectares governed by CIAC, which is open for expansion to accommodate more occupants.
Some of the activities the hub will host include research and quality control, warehousing, food processing, international shipping, marketing and services, and trading for local and foreign markets since the food hub is strategically located near Clark International Airport.
CIAC intends to wrap up the feasibility study in the third quarter of 2024 and continue with the project public tender in 2025.
The agency is hoping to deliver some portions of the food hub as commercially viable and in operation by 2026 to 2028.
