August 9, 2004

 

 

Taiwanese Traders To Import Corn From Philippines
 

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's improving agricultural productivity program was further boosted yesterday after Taiwanese investors contracted local corn producers to buy over a P4 billion worth of 400,000 tons of their produce yearly.

 

The good news was announced by the Foundation for Philippine Agriculture and Rural Empowerment through its consultant Allan H. Domingo, vice president of Central Agricultural Connectivity, Inc. (CACI), after he accompanied the Taiwan businessmen in a visit to the Cagayan Export Processing Zone last week.

 

Former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor is CACI president.

 

As this developed, General (ret.) Rodolfo Alvarado, CEZA administrator, said "the Taiwanese group came to his office last week to look for a site to construct huge silos in the zone to stock corn produced in the Cagayan Valley."

 

The North Luzon-Taiwan corn production tie-up "will signal a boom to hundreds of thousand corn farmers many of whom were at the mercy of middlemen-traders," Domingo said.

 

"This development will upgrade the livelihood of our farmers through increased productivity and reduction of enormous losses in grains harvest due to natural disaster and post-harvest mismanagement and improve the export capability for corn and importation of other agricultural products for the benefit of farmers," he said.

 

He added that the foundation (PARE) "in partnership with the Taiwanese investors intends to construct one grain post-harvest storage/processing terminal in Pangasinan and one grain import/export handling terminal in Cagayan Free-Port with several sets of drying system (shellers and dryers)."

 

Domingo said the storage capacity of the Grain Post-Harvest storage/processing terminal in Pangasinan will be no less than 9,000 tons, while the combine storage capacity of the Grain Import/Export Handling Terminal in Cagayan FreePort will be 50,000 tons (30,000 for export and 20,000 for import) - the largest terminal in Southeast Asia." The Cagayan Free Port's services will be available to all commercially in 2006.

 

Domingo observed tha tfarmers in Cagayan Valley produce more corn compared to those in Mindanao.

 

After visiting the CEZA in Cagayan with a sevenman team from Taiwan, Domingo said the "Port Irene and CEZA would be the best location for our silos and dryers."

 

He said "the Central Agricultural Connectivity Inc. (CACI) of Taiwan will have direct connection to corn families in Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan and Pangasinan province."

 

He added "the Taiwanese investors will stabilize the price of corn and open up bigger and better markets amidst higher demand overseas."