As one of the city government of Davao’s thrusts for the sector of agriculture, the Davao Food Terminal is projected to be operational by April 2017.
“Tuloy na tuloy na ito but it will be a soft opening on April 2017,” stressed Department of Agriculture OIC Regional Director Ricardo M. Oñarte during the Habi at Kape media forum at Abreeza Mall Davao.
He explained that the farmers could make use of the functional area of the five-hectare food terminal to bring and to sell their produce until such time that the facility could be fully utilized.
According to Oñarte, the city government will manage the terminal until it becomes self-sustaining in the hands of the farmers’ cooperatives.
The regional director identified the cooperatives coming from Bansalan, Kapatagan and Davao Occidental as some of the cooperatives that will benefit from the facility.
He added that he DA will serve as the middleman through a task force composed of the marketing department of DA-XI to monitor the quality of the farmers’ produce and to regulate their price.
“Wala na tayong middleman because middlemen only increase the farmers’ expenses,” said the regional director.
Oñarte also said that 10 hauling trucks worth P1.5 billion will be sold to the cooperatives to transport their produce.
According to the regional director, the Davao Food Terminal, now 30 percent to completion, is part of the 25-hectare Davao Food Exchange Complex that will be developed by the local government in the next two years with an allocated budget of P320 million, where P70 million is provided by the Department of Agriculture.
