The City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) appealed to the city council on Monday for the approval of the proposal to construct a state-of-the-art livestock market in Dontogan barangay.
The proposed project worth P108 million was presented by CVAO senior agriculturist Marcy Tabelin and City Veterinarian Silardo Bested.
The present livestock market is located at the Slaughterhouse Compound but is surrounded by houses, bus terminals, and business establishments.
Once the livestock market is relocated to the proposed site, Slaughterhouse Compound will be decongested, thereby helping depopulate the city center. The area once occupied by the livestock market will be used for agricultural projects such as vegetable and fruit trees seedling production.
Having 65 stalls that can accommodate 7,000 live animals, the new livestock market being proposed will have separate sections to minimize exposure to animal diseases.
The structure is designed for easy cleaning and disinfection and has its own drainage system and a sewage treatment plant. To further keep the livestock safe from animal diseases, biosecurity control measures will be implemented for all live animals entering the livestock market.
The proposed aquaponic system will be an additional component of the project for benchmarking purposes and to be used for teaching the residents in the city who want to venture into aquaponics and hydroponics farming and urban agriculture.
According to the cost benefit analysis and feasibility study conducted by the City Budget Office, the proposed livestock market is expected to generate P72M in its first five years of operation from all its revenue streams.
The study also showed that the return of investment is at 22.7 percent, resulting in the recovery of the investment of P107M within 10 years and seven months.
The proposed livestock market will also make native pigs and chickens accessible, benefitting residents who conduct cultural practices and festivities.
Bested said the proposed livestock market will be constructed simultaneously with the proposed abattoir. The proposed livestock market will be funded by the city government while the construction of the proposed abattoir will be through public-private partnership. – Jordan G. Habbiling
April 26, 2024
