CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--The Department of Agriculture (DA)-10 turns over the first monolithic dome-type cold storage and packing facility in the region to the City of Cagayan de Oro, March 24.
DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado handed the certificate of turnover of the said project worth P20 million to Mayor Oscar S. Moreno, as a component of DA’s proper storage of agricultural inputs of high-value crops.
Collado said the facility will aid the local farmers and market vendors in the city in maximizing the quality of their produce.
“It will extend the shelf life of highly-perishable commodities and reduce post-harvest losses of the farmers and ensure a resilient food system, especially during this pandemic,” the director added.
Located in barangay Kauswagan, the whole facility has a land area of 1,300 square meters, which is the counterpart of the city with a capacity of 300 metric tons of vegetables in crates and palettes.
The dome will serve as the region’s storage and packing facility with two loading docks, a pre-cooling room, areas for washing and rinsing, sorting, palletizing, and an office.
Moreno said the monolithic dome facility is meant to ensure that high-value crops of farmers seek to serve two ends: the supply and demand sides.
“On the part of the supply side, the farmers can hope that their products will remain fresh in spite of the passing of time. While on the demand side, the consuming public can be assured that the product would remain fresh and nutritious,” added Moreno.
The facility is one of a kind in the region through advanced engineering or construction technology, adopting a climate-smart technology, a state-of-the-art storage facility which was funded under DA’s CY 2020–Agriculture Stimulus Package Bayanihan II of DA High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP).
Supporting the event were DA-10 Regional Technical Director Carlota S. Madriaga, HVCDP Program Coordinator Kersten S. Pagalan, city local officials, and Agriculture Productivity Operations Office (APOO). (DA-10/PIA-10)
