DA approves 6-month rehab plan for FTI

The Department of Agriculture (DA) approved a P32-million short-term rehabilitation plan for the losing Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) which will recreate the government controlled corporation as the central food distribution center in Metro Manila.

DA Agricultural Marketing and Assistance Service Director Salvador Salacop said the DA will shortly sign a memorandum of agreement with the National Food Authority (NFA) and the FTI to implement the plan.

He said the objective of the six-month rehab plan to be implemented next year, would be to redevelop the sprawling but highly unutilized food processing and warehousing complex in Taguig, Metro Manila into a food distribution hub." This will eventually be linked to Cebu-Visayas and Mindanao, particularly, General Santos where similar food centers will be established.

"FTI is being initially envisioned as a major food terminal for agricultural products coming from the northern and southern part of Luzon. We hope to fashion it as a cost-efficient bagsakan center just like Divisoria and Balintawak," said Salacop.

"We are about to replace the major food hubs like Divisoria or Balintawak. But what we hope to achieve is to provide an alternative for both food producers, processors, buyers and those in the export trade to have a facility for them to market their facilities, especially now that most of the existing centers in Metro Manila are becoming congested," Salacop said.

Salacop said the upgrading of FTI facilities will include replacing and sprucing up cold storage equipment, upgrading the slaughterhouse, the auction market and the setting up of retail and wholesale structures.

To ensure steady supply of agricultural products, Salacop said the NFA, now under the wing of the DA, will put up new food terminals in major food-producing regions, as well as utilize existing NFA warehouses.

"The plan is to consolidate these food terminals in the provinces and to create a system that will link them to the FTI in Taguig," Salacop said.

The DA has already identified initial regional markets. In Southern Luzon, these would be in Batangas, which would receive produce from nearby provinces such as Quezon, Laguna and even the Bicol region.

In Northern Luzon, Bulacan will serve as the receiving center for agricultural products from Benguet, La Trinidad, Nueva Vizcaya and Ilocos Sur and Norte.

Salacop said the system will substantially eliminate postharvest wastages and losses that will be incurred during the transport of these goods to Metro Manila since the goods will be "pre-selected."

"The ultimate objective is to have the goods come in packages that will be ready for distribution to the end-consumers and for big-volume buyers such as institutional buyers like hotels and restaurants."

To jumpstart the project, Angara turned over P8 million to the local government of Batangas to study the possibility of putting up a main terminal market and satellite markets.