THE cold examination facility in agriculture (CEFA) being developed together with the private sector in Bulacan will likely be operational by January or February next year, according to Francisco Tiu Laurel, secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a memorandum of understanding signed last year, Pacific Roadlink Logistics Inc. (PRLI) will develop 10 hectares of land for the CEFA in Angat.
It will have staging, laboratory, incinerator, container yard and truck parking facilities. The DA will use a certain portion of the CEFA for its examination and laboratory area at no cost for a period of 25 years.
The P2.3-billion CEFA is the first 24-hour off-dock facility that will exclusively process agricultural importations from major ports in the Philippines, including but not limited to the port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port.
Tiu Laurel said three more CEFAs located in the ports of Manila, Subic and General Santos will operational by September 2025.
