Boom in grain imports spurs new Philippine ports

Eduardo Alino only opened his grain bulk handling facility at Subic freeport, a former US base north-west of Manila, in January but he's already planning to double its capacity to meet the country's growing appetite.
The Philippines is one of Asia's biggest importers of rice, its main food staple, and other grains and feedstuffs due to its rapidly rising population and poor local farming infrastructure.
The expansion of Alino's Subic grain terminal follows rival Nation Granary Inc's plans to open a similar facility costing 3.2-billion peso ($62.7 million) in Sariaya, in the northern Philippines, in May or June.
"There is business locally," Alino, who has been in the cargo handling business for 20 years, told Reuters. "There is enough volume. You don't need to go into transhipment to other countries."
The Philippines bought 1.8 million tonnes of rice last year, and imports annually nearly 3 million tonnes of both milling and feed wheat, 1.5 million tonnes of soyameal, 400,000 tonnes of soyabeans and sometimes corn.
Officials said they expected imports of wheat, soyabeans and soyameal, which are not grown locally, to rise in the next few years as the population's average annual growth rate of 2.0-2.3 percent, one of the fastest in Asia, shows no sign of slowing. "Consumption of grains will continue as the population grows and the economy improves," Ric Pinca, vice president at the Philippine Association of Feedmillers Inc, said.
Alino said his company plans to spend another 400 million pesos to double the capacity of the grain terminal inside the Subic freeport to 200,000 tonnes for wheat, soyabeans and soyameal next year.
The additional investment would bring to 1 billion pesos the total amount invested in the Subic grain terminal, which was previously used as a docking port for US Navy aircraft.
Alino said the expansion would also include additional equipment to service Panamax vessels - with a capacity of 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes - without cranes
Subic Grain Terminal can handle Panamax vessels with cranes and handymax vessels, or those with a capacity of 40,000-45,000 tonnes capacity.