THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it has allocated P3 billion to establish a network of cold storage facilities at 99 locations this year.
“By improving the cold chain infrastructure, we will strengthen the agricultural sector, reduce farm losses, extend the shelf life of agricultural products, stabilize supply and prices, and ensure food security,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel ,Jr. said in a statement Sunday.
The DA said the 99 facilities will be small and most are due to launch operations this year.
Mr. Laurel added that the DA will use P1.5 billion in unprogrammed funds from 2024 to start the development of the cold storage network. The additional P1.5 billion was included in the DA’s budget for 2025.
“The unprogrammed funds will be spent to build around 65 small or modular chiller-type cold storage facilities across the country and a large cold storage facility in Camarines Sur,” he said.
The DA added that two large facilities are also in the pipeline with candidate sites identified in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.
“The budget allocation for cold storage in 2025 is a strategic approach towards bolstering this critical aspect of the agricultural sector,” Assistant Secretary for Logistics Daniel N. Atayde said.
The DA said that it will oversee and manage the large cold storage facilities in cooperation with local government units and farmers’ cooperatives and associations.
On the other hand, the smaller modular facilities will only take about three months to be completed and will have capacities of 7-15 metric tons.
It added that the refrigerated warehouses could also run on renewable energy sources.
“This approach not only addresses immediate agricultural needs but also aligns with broader environmental goals,” Mr. Laurel said. — Adrian H. Halili