More than 200,000 farmers in the Bicol region are expected to benefit from a new cold storage facility in San Jose, according to the Department of Agriculture in Bicol.
Regional Executive Director Rodel Tornilla said the Bicol Mega Cold Storage, funded by the Department of Agriculture and the Office of the President, is expected to support 204,089 farmers. "The postharvest losses of the farmers will also be reduced by about US$350 per annum, and they will no longer be forced to sell their products at very low prices during the peak harvest season due to oversupply, since they will have storage for their products," he said.
The facility is located on a 2,300-square-meter site and is the first completed project under the Department of Agriculture's Cold Storage Expansion Program led by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attended the opening on March 23. The facility includes six temperature-controlled rooms for pork, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables, and fruits. It also has a blast freezer, packaging and processing areas, an ice plant, refrigerated delivery trucks, storage sections, and loading and unloading bays.
"Harvests used to be sold immediately, even at low prices, because there was nowhere to store them. With the Bicol Mega Cold Storage Facility and Vegetable and Fruit Processing Facility, farmers can now store their harvest, process it, and wait for the right time to sell at the right price," the president said.
Tornilla said the facility is expected to support food supply management in the region. "This is expected to help ensure food security, food safety, and a longer shelf life of agricultural products. Apart from preventing premature spoilage of products, it is also expected to help stabilize the food supply in the region," he said.
Around 150 farmers and fishermen from clustered associations attended the opening and participated in the "Ugnayan sa Magsasaka" event.
Source: The Manila Times
