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The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority needs P30.1 billion to upgrade over a dozen regional and subregional seaports into deep-water ports
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The four-year program is part of the Department of Agriculture’s vision of transforming the facilities into agri-logistics hubs across the archipelago
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Based on the initial financing requirement to develop 18 ports, P6.04 billion will be needed this year and P24.08 billion next
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From the 2024 budget, P4.2 billion will go to the development of seven regional ports — four fish ports in Davao, General Santos, Iloilo and Zamboanga — and three deep water ports in Cebu, Palawan and Surigao City
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The balance will be for subports with deep-water ports of three to five hectares
The Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) will need P30.1 billion to upgrade over a dozen regional and subregional seaports into deep-water ports.
The four-year program is part of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) broader vision of transforming these facilities into agri-logistics hubs across the archipelago. PFDA is a DA-attached agency.
READ: DA eyes deep piers to cut farm input cost
Aside from deepening access channels to the ports to accommodate fully-laden Panamax vessels, the PFDA’s multi-year development plan includes building silos, cold storage, agricultural processing areas, cargo handling facilities, quays, shipyards, fuel depots, and pipelines, DA said in a statement.
Based on the initial financing requirement to develop 18 ports, the PFDA will need P6.04 billion this year and P24.08 billion next.
From the 2024 budget, P4.2 billion will be for the development of seven regional ports— four fish ports in Davao, General Santos, Iloilo and Zamboanga, and the three deep water ports in Cebu, Palawan and Surigao City. The balance will be for subports with deep water ports of three to five hectares.
The 11 subports identified for development by PFDA are those in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte; Pagudpud, llocos Norte; Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; Cataingan, Masbate; Infanta, Quezon; Pantao, Albay; Kalmansig, Sultan Kudarat; Bataan; Mati City, Davao Oriental; and Cadiz, Negros.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr., who chairs the PFDA board, recently met PFDA’s management team to discuss the development plans. He supports PFDA’s goal of using the regional ports to become entry and exit points for agricultural items to reduce the cost of transporting farm and fishery products across the islands.
In a meeting with the Federation of Free Farmers, Tiu Laurel stressed the need to address the transport and distribution of goods from areas where they are abundantly produced to where demand is high. This includes transporting inputs to areas they are most needed to reduce food production cost.
In line with this, he said DA’s four-year plan includes building seaports and possibly a so-called “food train.”
By reducing food production and distribution costs, Tiu Laurel believes this would substantially increase farmers’ and fishermen’s incomes even and result in lower food prices.
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