Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said Tuesday the Rungis International Market of France, the world biggest fresh market, expressed interest in participating in the P8.5-billion Clark National Food Hub project.
Perez shared key project details to trade and investment groups, including officials from Semmaris, owner and operator of Rungis Market, during a recent market sensing and observation mission to France.
“We’re looking forward to consummating any level of partnership with Rungis, or any form of cooperation with them in the agriculture and agrifood business for Clark,” Perez said.
He said the French market with its massive scale and focus on fresh produce offers valuable insights for the development of Clark’s food hub.
The project feasibility study is on track for completion by year-end through a collaboration between the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center and the Asian Development Bank.
A public tender is expected by the first quarter of 2025, with project award targeted in the same year using a design-finance-build-operate-maintain PPP model.
“We are set on modernizing agro-logistics, raising the standards of food safety, and providing better opportunities for the farmers, fishermen and growers through the National Food Hub,” Perez said.
Rungs International Market, which spans 234 hectares, supplies nearly 18 million French residents daily with a vast array of products – from seafood and meats to fruits, vegetables and dairy.
Meanwhile, CIAC announced a P203-million dividend remittance to the national government for 2023, representing a 12 percent growth from P180.4 million it remitted in 2022.
Perez credited the corporation’s strong financial performance to several key factors including implementing strict fiscal discipline and building a competent finance team which have positioned CIAC as a debt-free and financially healthy government corporation.
“Fiscal discipline, a dynamic finance team which made us a debt-free and financially healthy government corporation, the efficient collection from the leases of locators at the Clark civil aviation complex, and the entry of new investments are the reasons for the agency’s strong financial standing,” Perez said.
While acknowledging the privatization of airport operations under Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), Perez emphasizes CIAC’s “unwavering commitment” to Republic Act No. 7656 or the Dividend Law.
The corporation remains dedicated to declaring and remitting dividends to the national government, Perez said.
CIAC is pursuing its “seven flagship projects” designed to transform Clark Airport City into the Philippines’ premier global civil aviation logistics hub.