Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), due to its world-class quality of service and strategic location, has been endorsed by the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) as a discharge port for containers of imported livestock and raw materials.
The endorsement, signed by DA Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs Ernesto Gonzales, highlights the terminal’s role in ensuring unimpeded trade for the livestock and feed milling industries. It is also seen as an encouragement for importers to use the Subic container port to help make feeds more readily available and affordable to farmers–leading to potentially lower market prices of meat products in the greater Manila area and nearby provinces.
“Given the initiatives of the current administration to support affordable and accessible food for the Filipino people, industry players should be able to tap services which are competitive and will provide access where Filipino consumers demand products,” the DA endorsement letter said.
The DA also noted that it is aware of delays in transporting cargo to Luzon during peak seasons, high-traffic months, and unpredictable weather. SBITC’s strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and efficient brand of service are exactly what the industry needs to ensure supply delivery continuity.
In the case of animal feed importation, container ports like SBITC offer faster and more reliable operation as containerization eliminates weather-related delays that affect the handling of breakbulk cargo. This gives agribusiness decision-makers added flexibility in balancing cost vs. efficiency. SBITC, for its part, is making conscious efforts to make transactions more seamless and beneficial for industry end users, which help reduce livestock production costs and ease the burden on consumers.
“SBITC is a strategic hub connecting the greater Manila and Central Luzon, the center of the country’s agriculture trade. Compared to other ports, we offer lower port fees and up to 10 days of free storage for our partners. This helps businesses and suppliers arrange for transport and delivery to their intended destination without the burden of extra cost, making us the ideal port of choice,” said Roberto Locsin, SBITC general manager.
He added that “travel-wise, the Port of Subic is already well-connected to Manila and new infrastructure projects in the pipeline will only improve mobility. Additionally, trucks can freely move to and from Subic to facilities north of Metro Manila, contributing to faster movement of goods and supplies during critical months.”
Aside from recommending the Subic port, the DA assured SBITC that it will continue to work with industry players to promote unimpeded trade.
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