MANILA – Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has recently urged the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) to revive its main food processing and trading hub in the City of Taguig and put up similar food terminals across the country to complement the administration’s Kadiwa stores.
“Ngayong binubuhay ng Marcos administration ang Kadiwa, a food terminal is a perfect companion,” Cayetano said during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) on October 17.
The Kadiwa Program is a DA program in which agricultural products produced by farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives are brought by the government directly to consumers through Kadiwa stores.
“To be fair, napakaganda ng Kadiwa. Mura talaga at kumpleto — from tilapia, bigas, and everything,” he said.
Cayetano said since the Kadiwa Program mostly operates through pop-up stores, having food terminals like FTIs all over the country will allow consumers and small business owners to plan their purchase.
“The reality [of KADIWA] is it’s ad-hoc, y’ung pipili lang kayo ng lugar tapos doon [pupwesto]. Hirap lahat kasi you do not have regular employees din na y‘un lang ang ginagawa,” he said.
FTI was established in the 1970s to operate on 120 hectares of land in Taguig as a major hub for food processing and distribution.
It was where consumers and traders can directly purchase agricultural products from farmers and fisherfolk.
Farmers and fisherfolk also benefited from various facilities, including cold storage and a slaughterhouse.
“When it was set-up in the ‘70s, it was the European style of silos na kaysa kanya-kanyang benta ang farmers at nagagamit sila ng traders, eh you have a food terminal na pwede mong dalhin doon [ang produce mo],” Cayetano said.
However, its land has been on lease ever since its operations were suspended in the early 2000s.
“Do we have a plan na buhayin o i-modernize ang concept ng FTI? And if so, what do we do with the main one in Taguig?” he asked.
“Kung magka-Kadiwa ka na rin lang, [bakit hindi samahan ng FTI]?” he added.
National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Roderico Bioco, who was present during the hearing, acknowledged Cayetano’s suggestions on behalf of FTI, saying the corporation will report to the independent senator on the matter.
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