Friday, June 23, 2006
Mindanao cold chain sector to get P600-M investment
By Barbara Carla R. Quiero
THE president of the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said at least P600 million is to be invested in the cold chain industry in Mindanao in the next 12 months.
CCAP president Anthony S. Dizon, during the Club 888 press conference at the Marco Polo Hotel Wednesday, said there are already three proposed storage projects in Mindanao as of June 2006.
Cold chain is a series of process undertaken to protect the quality, integrity, and to sustain the value of perishable products as they are being transported from farm to markets.
"These investments are expected to take shape in the next 12 months in General Santos, Misamis Oriental and Davao City," Dizon said.
In Davao City, the Jentec Storage Inc., which already has three existing storage facilities in Pasig City, Calamba, Laguna, and Tarlac, will place its proposed cold storage project at barangay Ilang.
The project is expected to cost P400 million for two facilities, one for Davao City and the other at General Santos.
The RD Fishing Corporation, engaged in various ventures including fishing, agri-business, manufacturing, processing, banking and pawning, is planning to set up blast freezers and cold storage rooms in General Santos, which is expected to cost P400 million.
Meanwhile, in the Polar Bear Freezing and Cold Storage Corporation, which already has cold storage facilities in Pasig City and Davao City, is planning to set up two blast freezers and four cold storage areas with an estimated cost of P200 million.
CCAP vice-president Jose Lim Jr. said they are envisioning having a national cold chain network in the country where all major provinces and cities will have a post-harvest facility to protect their harvest.
"So all food products like meat, vegetables, or fruit will be processed in a clean and sanitary method and reduce incidents of food poisoning," Lim said during the same press conference.
Other than the sanitation aspect, Lim pointed out that using cold storage facilities can increase productivity as it lessens wastage.
"Based on statistics, using the facility can lessen wastage or loss by 30 percent," he said.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (June 23, 2006 issue)
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