An aquaculture facility that is eyed to be an agri-tourism site is set to rise in Taguig City this year, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said.

“We are promoting agribusiness corridor (ABC) in Taguig City for freshwater aquaculture,” Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Agri-Industrialization and for Fisheries Cheryl Caballero said in a virtual briefer on Tuesday.

The local government of Taguig City will put up some of the access roads leading to the facility and they are also putting up the component on fish market, Caballero said.

The project will host 80 floating cages, agro-waste processing and treatment plant, fishport with cold storage facility, and a fish market.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is also putting up a “fishyalan”, a unique place for visitors to hang out and learn new fisheries technology, inside the project.

“The floating cages are meant to address the needs of the 1,000 fisherfolk,” she said.

The official also shared that the ABC that is slated to be completed within the year will get around PHP250 million fund allocation.

A 30-hectare ABC site in New Clark City was also mentioned earlier.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said New Clark City has the potential to jumpstart and sustain economic growth in the “new normal” because of its vast agricultural resources and strategic location that grants access to markets in both northern and southern Luzon, including Metro Manila.

“The agro-industrial business corridor or ABC that will rise at the New Clark City will be a holistic approach, which aims to integrate smallholder farmers by providing them access to resources, including state-of-the-art production technology, capital, and value-adding facilities,” Dar said.

The soon-to-rise ABC will complement the planned Clark Fresh Market to be constructed at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex. The market complex will have an integrated post-harvest facility, catering niche markets for organic produce, halal-certified and premium quality food products.

The planned New Clark City Agri-industrial Business Corridor, coupled with the fresh market complex, will definitely create thousands of jobs and further expand the development of Tarlac, and adjoining provinces in central and northern Luzon, DA said. (PNA)