The 47-hectare Navotas Fish Port Complex (NFPC) is set to undergo rehabilitation and upgrading for the next three years to transform it into an integrated center for various agricultural commodities.

The rehab project, amounting to P14 billion, will include the expansion and elevation of unloading stations, repair of road networks and drainage systems, and establishment of state of the art cold storage facilities.

According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the modernization of the NFPC could not have come at a better time.

Seventy percent of the fish supply of Metro Manila passes through the complex.

“This is one of the flagship programs of the government, and hopefully it is completed before the end of the term of the President,” Dar said.

The big-ticket project, targeted to be completed by 2023, is part of the modernization and industrialization initiatives of the government to level up the production and income of fishers.

“With proper design, the port is expected to serve not only the fishery sector but all sectors of Philippine agriculture,” Dar explained.

The Secretary stressed that with the proposed establishment of modernized cold storage facilities, sustainability and security in fishery products is assured.

With a modern facility in place, Dar explained that fishes unloaded by commercial fishing boats through the complex will have a longer shelf life, allowing sufficient supply during calamities and disaster, and even during the lean season.

“Kung peak season at walang storage, malaki ang postharvest losses,” Dar added.

Once the rehabilitation is completed, the NFPC will ensure safety and sanitation of all fish and fish products. Supply will also increase, as more fishing boats will be accommodated and served.

On February 5, Dar together with officials and personnel from the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) made the rounds of the NFPC, including a 45,000 metric ton-capacity cold storage facility.

“The facility, built and managed by the Frabelle Cold Storage Corporation is in line with the directives of the Secretary to partner with the private sectors,” PFDA General Manager Atty. Glen Pangapalan said.

Pangapalan added that PFDA will tap other private entities to build similar facilities.

NFPC, a premier fish center in the Philippines and one of the largest in Asia, is under the jurisdiction, control, and supervision of PFDA. ### (Adora D. Rodriguez, DA-AFID)