The Dept. of Agriculture on Monday announced the formal opening of the P278.3-million grain terminal and trading project of the Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC).
The project will enhance the existing feed mill of SIDC by integrating a silo operation with a capacity of 12,000 metric tons.
The project is funded by a loan from the World Bank with counterpart funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project and SIDC.
President Marcos inaugurated the new grain terminal. The event was also attended by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., SIDC chairman Angelito Bangui, SIDC CEO Rico Geron, Batangas 5th district Rep. Marvey Mariño, Batangas City Mayor Beverley Dimacuha, Chronicles Ports president Josef Vincent Cochien, and Wong Chu King Holdings’ co-managing directors Caesar Angelo Wongchuking and Christopher King Chua .
The President said that the SIDC is a model of development for other cooperatives in the country and that its project will assure incomes of farmers in the whole Calabarzon area as well as lower cost of food for the consuming public.
According to the DA, this new grain terminal is set to become a central hub for yellow corn used predominantly in the production of animal feeds. With the ability to scale up national corn production, it said that the project is poised to temper rising input costs, benefitting hog and poultry farmers as well as corn producers.
It noted that the grain terminal and trading station is a key development aimed at consolidating the supply of corn to help reduce the cost of animal feeds and in turn, lower the prices of poultry and livestock products within the region.
The SIDC project serves as the anchor tenant for Chronicles Port Inc.’s newly constructed cargo port in Simlong, Batangas City. The pier and the warehouses were built at a cost of P800 million.
According to Cochien, they are also looking at locators that are into the cement, sand, steel and construction materials and aggregates as well as other grains. The port is designed to accommodate breakbulk or general cargo.
The company’s port of control in Simlong covers 914,959 square meters for anchorage off-loading, accepting commodities from vessels that arrive within the laycan, including dry goods. It has a maximum discharging capability of 5000 metric tons per day for LCT (landing craft tanks) -type vessels.
It offers arrastre and stevedoring services, cargo surveying, as well as third-party logistics which includes warehousing, trucking, port services, shipping, one-stop bunkering, and manpower solutions.
WCK Holdings is the parent of Chronicles Ports. SIDC is a lessee for the grains terminal and will be using the port facilities
WCK subsidiary Nordic Atlantic Logistics Group is a coalition of logistics companies focused on being a one-stop shop for all logistics, cold storage, and warehousing needs. It operates a cold storage facility and other services such as blast freezing in Malolos, Bulacan. WCK is also engaged in the poultry business.
