A modern and better-equipped General Santos Fishport Complex will be seen next year as the 32-hectare tuna port facility begins its US$26 million expansion project to provide an improved fish landing and marketing services to fishing industry stakeholders in this tuna-belt region.

The implementation of the expansion project comes with the recent completion of its Detailed Engineering Design, and the approval of the 2005 budget sourced from the loan agreement between the Philippine Department of Finance (DOF) and the China National Constructional and Agricultural Machinery Import/Export Corporation (CAMC).

The expansion of the General Santos Fishport complex, located along the shores of Sarangani Bay in Barangay Tambler, involves the construction of two wharves with a total length of 500 meters, a 1,500-metric ton capacity cold storage facility, a wastewater treatment plant, and a power substation. It also includes the installation of port handling equipment.

The expansion project, which officially started in June, is set to be completed by May 2006 and is aimed at responding to the surging demand for fish port facilities and services in the Socsksargen growth area, composed of the provinces of South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos city.

Socskasargen, particularly General Santos city, is fast turning into a profitable business enclave, spurred by the growing fishing and processing industry.

The expansion of the fish port will not only boost trade activities within Socsksargen but also accelerate operations of the upstream and downstream food processing industries in neighboring regions.

More specifically, the expansion is expected to provide the needed infrastructure facilities that would consolidate fish landing and marketing operations, and allow large vessels to unload their catch at General Santos's main fishing port complex, which is considered as one of the country’s most modern and biggest fish port facilities.

It is also projected to promote maximum capacity utilization of existing canneries in General Santos City, which houses eight of the country's nine tuna canning plants. Accordingly, the expansion would also accommodate additional volume of wastewater to be generated from the expected industries to be set up inside the complex as well as improve the quality handling of frozen fish products.

”Expanding our General Santos fishport will maintain General Santos City’s competitive edge as the country's tuna capital and as a key player in the international tuna market and this brings a promise of an increased export earning needed to further boost Mindanao's economy,” said Secretary Jesus Dureza, Chair of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco).