The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday announced plans to build more food hubs nationwide this year to address farmers’ logistics challenges and improve access to markets through direct, competitive selling platforms.
During a Palace press briefing, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., along with the Senate and the House of Representatives, for granting the DA a PHP215-billion budget for 2026. He said the increased funding will enable the construction of additional food terminals across key agricultural regions.
“I’m happy to announce and thank the President, and of course both the Senate and Congress, for giving us a proper and substantial budget for our food hubs. That is really what we need,” Tiu Laurel said.
He disclosed that more than PHP2 billion will be allocated for a major food hub in Clark, Pampanga, which will serve as a central trading point for agricultural products from Northern Luzon and nearby areas. The facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of next year.
The DA will also earmark PHP500 million each for new food hubs in Pili and Manolo Fortich.
According to Tiu Laurel, the Manolo Fortich food hub will rise on a 40-hectare site and will be complemented by a grain terminal and nearby cold storage facilities. Meanwhile, the Pili food hub will be constructed beside a mega cold storage facility in Camarines Sur, which is nearing completion and is expected to be finished by February.
“Our mega cold storage in Camarines Sur will be completed by February, and the food hub will be built right beside it,” Tiu Laurel explained. “So if there is excess produce from farmers within striking distance of these hubs, that’s where it will be brought.”
He added that the food hubs are envisioned as integrated, one-stop facilities where buyers, cold storage, and even farm inputs such as fertilizers are all accessible in one location.
“That is one of the best outcomes of the budget given to us this year—to finally address farmers’ logistics concerns and give them a more efficient, reliable way to bring their products to market,” Tiu Laurel said.
NPO News Team | PND-PR
