Iloilo: A new agri-food commodity hub will soon rise in the municipality of New Lucena, Iloilo, to help market and process various agricultural products in Panay. Larry Nacionales, chairman of the Panay Organization for Progressive Agriculture (POPA) Agriculture Cooperative, said in a phone interview on Tuesday that the hub is one of the major programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to establish food terminals that help farmers sell and process their commodities.

According to Philippines News Agency, the terminal was built by the DA in partnership with the local and provincial governments of Iloilo. Nacionales mentioned that POPA recently signed an agreement with New Lucena and DA to run and manage the facility, with the DA providing only the structure. POPA is now tasked with equipping the facility for drying and processing excess commodities. They have already identified the necessary equipment to add to the blast freezer available in the facility in Barangay Guinobatan.

Nacionales shared that the plan is for POPA to develop the hub into a center for agri-food commodities potentially by next year. The cooperative initially plans to process jackfruit, pineapple, and cacao, among other crops. Adjacent to the facility are a chocolate processing plant and a swine multiplier farm that breeds good-quality swine. Additionally, POPA aims to establish a nursery for coffee, cacao, and coconut planting materials to make them accessible to farmers.

Furthermore, Nacionales explained that POPA intends to create a digital marketing platform to identify excess agricultural products for processing at the center. This initiative could potentially link with big buyers, offering farmers a reliable market for their produce and encouraging them to plant more due to assured buyers for their harvest.