PPP Center to help identify agricultural projects attractive to private sector

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it tapped the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center to help package agriculture PPPs that will be attractive to private investors.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. and  Undersecretary for Agro-Marine Industrial Systems Arrey A. Perez met with PPP Center Executive Director Rizza Blanco-Latorre and Deputy Executive Director Eleazar E. Ricote, to discuss priority projects suitable for PPP treatment.

These projects include farm-to-market roads, mega food hubs, ports for agriculture and fisheries products, hatcheries, agricultural mechanization and biosafety programs, cold storage facilities, solar-powered ice plants, and irrigation systems.

The DA also expressed interest in tapping the PPP Center’s Project Development and Monitoring Facility, a P4.4-billion revolving fund that finances project preparation and transaction advisory services to help government agencies develop profitable PPP projects and attract investors.

Mr. Laurel said: “We are bringing in the private sector to accelerate investments that will modernize agriculture, strengthen food security, and create lasting value for our farmers,” Mr. Laurel said in a DA statement.

Mr. Perez said: “By working closely with the PPP Center and private investors, we can build the infrastructure our farmers need and make agriculture a stronger engine of economic growth.”

According to the PPP Center’s project dashboard, agricultural PPP projects under development are valued at P33.25 billion, while those already under implementation amount to P4.7 billion. — Marron Joshua F. Mendoza