THE upgraded Davao Food Terminal Complex (DFTC) located in Barangay Daliao, Toril District, Davao City aims to alleviate the city's agricultural product spoilage issues.
Engr. Ericson T. Nolasco, project leader and Senior Science Research Specialist of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), said in a media interview that the upgraded facilities would enable farmers to handle and package fresh produce properly.
“Sa init ng panahon, yung spoilage natin dito sa Philippines nakakapag-record tayo ng 20 to 70 percent ng losses or spoilage ng mga produce natin. Pwede ma-attribute natin yung loses na yun sa mishandling or hindi tama ang pagha-handle natin, yung improper packaging, yung wala pong knowledge ang mga existing farmers natin sa kung ano ang tamang packaging natin,” he said.
(With the extreme temperatures that we are experiencing, we have recorded a spoilage rate of 20 to 70 percent of losses or spoilage of our produce. These losses could be attributed to the mishandling or incorrect handling of our produce, or the improper packaging, or the lack of knowledge of our existing farmers on the right way of packaging.)
The food chamber alone costs about P3.2 million, and the equipment is P1.4 million; the upgraded facilities cost around P4.5 million in total. Its new utilities include cold storage, a vegetable washer, a continuous band sealer, a twist sealing machine, a tray lidding machine, and an encoding machine. The cold storage could hold around 450 crates and temperatures could even be as low as zero degrees Celsius.
Dr. Anthony C. Sales, regional director of DOST-Davao, said in a media interview that the department, together with the City Government of Davao, will develop a scheme on the rates of food packaging for the farmers who will utilize the packaging machines. This comes after some farmers raised concerns about the costs of the packaging that will be used for their produce.
Meanwhile, Mary Grace Belviz, president of the Food Processor Association, expressed that the new utilities available in DFTC would be a huge help for farmers' processing of produce. She added that these will be used for highly perishable products like papaya, mangosteen, banana, and leafy vegetables.
“So with this facility mai-improve ang looks ng ating produce, nakita naman natin na magkakaroon ng magandang packaging, and it's not just the looks, yung shelf life ng ating gulay magi-improve, mas magkakaroon ng value (So with this facility it will improve the looks of our produce, we can see that there is indeed a good packaging and it's not just the looks but also the shelf life of our vegetables so it will improve its value),” she said.
Through the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by ITDI, DOST-Davao, and DFTC on January 18, 2022, DOST funded the project “Upgrading the Capability of Existing Distribution Centers/Trading Posts in the Delivery of Fresh and Semi-Agricultural Products in the Supply Chain.”
DFTC is only one of the four locations that are part of DOST-ITDI's project “DOST’s Smart Food Value Chain in the New Normal Program” to enhance distribution centers and trading posts in the Philippines. Other areas include the Benguet Cold Chain (BCC), Sapang Multipurpose Cooperative (SMPC), and Agrizkaya Cooperative Federation (ACF). RGP