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The first phase of the P8.5-billion National Food Hub at Clark Airport Complex is set for completion by end-2027
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Clark International Airport Corp. signed an agreement on July 12 with the Asian Development Bank and the Public-Private Partnership Center to provide technical advisory services for the 62-hectare project
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The agreement will provide technical expertise for the preparation, structuring, and procurement of a concessionaire for the project
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Phase 1 will include cold storage facilities and administrative offices
The first phase of the P8.5-billion National Food Hub at the Clark Airport Complex is set for completion by the end of 2027.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) signed an agreement on July 12 with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center to provide technical advisory services for the 62-hectare hub.
The agreement guarantees technical expertise in preparing, structuring, and procuring a concessionaire for the project.
It will involve the development, operations, and maintenance of a wholesale food hub serving Clark Freeport Zone, New Clark City, Metro Manila, and regions across North, Central, and Southern Luzon.
“Included in Phase 1 are the cold storage facilities. Then the administrative offices of the ones that are going to run the place,” CIAC president Arrey Perez said during the signing ceremony at the ADB headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
The project aims to replicate state-of-the-art agro-logistics systems from advanced Asian countries, enhance food safety standards, and provide better opportunities for local farmers, fisherfolk, and growers.
ADB will offer comprehensive market-facing transaction advisory services and technical assistance, including preparing pre-tender documents, securing approvals, and aiding in the tender process. This partnership also includes two years of project monitoring.
Perez said the ADB feasibility study and other pre-tender documents should be completed by January 2025, with tender documents expected to be released publicly in the first quarter of next year.
“The eventual operator will be determined through a thorough study, and we are considering a design, build, finance, operations, and maintenance model. We may choose one investor for the entire project or separate developers and operators,” the CIAC president said.
The bidding process is set to take place next year, with the project concession agreement expected to be signed by January 2026. Perez said the project’s second phase, which includes packaging and processing facilities, would likely take another five years, for completion by 2032.
“The Clark hub will serve as a comprehensive solution for the distribution, storage, and processing of agricultural products, strengthening the national government’s food security measures – a key priority of the Marcos administration,” Perez said.
Earlier this year, the Project Development and Monitoring Facility, managed by the PPP Center, granted $450,000 in funding support to CIAC for the project. It was used to secure ADB’s Office of Markets Development and Public-Private Partnership services through a negotiated procurement process.
