The establishment of a food hub is part of the local government’s blueprint for economic development, entitled Cabatuan GATEWAY, or Growth Area for Tourism and Economic Development: A Wider Approach for Yielding Investments.
The Cabatuan GATEWAY is a multi-component flagship project with multiple investors. It has a total land area of six hectares, complete with a road network, parking spaces, and a loading and unloading facility for agricultural products. The overall project is composed of a rice mill and warehouse, a food processing and packaging center, an “AAA” abattoir, areas for relocators, and a bagsakan center with a food storage facility. Among target products are special-purpose rice like black, brown, and red rice, dried fruits and vegetables, mango by-products like puree, fruit juices, and quality meat for export.
Specifically, the investment will establish the food hub which will serve as a food distribution and marketing center with a warehouse and cold storage that are leasable to farmer associations, cooperatives, and micro-to-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). It is envisioned to benefit local farmers and rural workers and serve the needs of neighboring municipalities and the Province of Iloilo.
The investment has high viability and profitability because the development is in progress, with the rice mill complex to commence in the first quarter of 2024, and dialogue is ongoing with different stakeholders and beneficiaries of the facility, while aspects of public infrastructure support like the construction of access roads are in the works.
