DAVAO CITY — Big ticket investments that were firmed up during the Davao membership meeting of the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines, Inc. (CCAP) last year will be operational before the second quarter of 2007.
CCAP president Anthony Dizon in an interview after guesting the Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Hotel named the investments as the Jentec Cold Storage in Barrio Ilang, Davao City with commercial operations to start in July this year.
The blast freezers cold storage facilities in Calumpang, General Santos City will operate late 2007 while another blast freezers and cold storage facilities in Tambler also in General Santos City is due to operate in June 2007.
He said the three investments with P640 million project cost are among the initial projects that would link agricultural products of Mindanao to bigger market both domestic and foreign.
The CCAP has said has membership will be open to businesses participating in the supply chain for both chilled ad frozen products and in the operation of temperature-controlled product storage and distribution.
However Dizon said they will not stop helping Mindanao as they will again hold their 5th CCAP Annual Membership Meeting and Training Conference in Cagayan de Oro City this time to look into the requirements of the vegetable producers and other related businesses.
He said the conference would allow those from the north a better understanding of the need for cold chain systems in Mindanao even as he said that they anticipates more private investments will be made towards establishing a seamless operating network of cold chain facilities.
However Dizon challenged government to really make good with their pledge to support the development of cold chain program.
He said the Department of Agriculture had disclosed five years on their move to implement the program and they look forward to benefiting its services.
DA Secretary Arthur Yap he said also mentioned that they are putting up barangay food terminal (BFT) and hopefully this will also improve the logistics area for distribution.
I am sure with the food terminal concept there will be cold chain requirement and this will definitely help the cold chain industry. Dizon said.
The 2007 Cagayan conference has the theme Blazing New Frontiers: Opportunities and Challenges in the Cold Chain Industry with Secretary Yap as Keynote Speaker.
He said industry leaders and technical experts will present on the following topics: the cold chain industry in Northern Mindanao, Halal in a business perspective, high value commercial vegetable production, status and directions of the Mindanao seafood industry, Cryogenics, the Avian Flu: what do we do if we get hit, new export opportunities and regulations in Japan.
The cold chain is important to the fresh produce industry with an increased consumer awareness of quality concerns, maximized product value through waste minimization and improved financial returns to producers. (PIA XI/prixdbanzon).
