Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. plans to build more cold storage facilities at the Food Terminal complex in Taguig City as part of measures addressing overproduction and minimizing post-harvest losses of agricultural products, particularly vegetables and other high-value crops.
“Ang immediate problem na nakikita ko ay iyong oversupply ng tomatoes and cabbage. Kaya dapat magtayo agad tayo ng storage sa FTI. Ang direction ko is to build a network for chilled cold storage systems,” Secretary Tiu Laurel said during a briefing with officials of Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City.
The agriculture chief also told FTI, a government corporation under the DA, to purchase excess produce of farmers and supply them to Kadiwa centers. “Kung may overproduction, kaysa itapon, bilhin na lang ng FTI, mailalagay pa natin iyan sa Kadiwa program. The plan is also to strengthen iyong Kadiwa program ng DA. Plano kong ibalik sa FTI ang Kadiwa after two years,” he said.
The agri chief underscored the department’s plan to centralize all agriculture logistics management matters, including FTI, to the soon-to-be-formed Logistics Office of the DA. “Lahat ng cold storage ng DA, ililipat ko sa logistics office, which will conduct research and inventory of all facilities within the Philippines to ensure synchronization,” he added.
As part of the plans for FTI,Laurel plans the construction of a chiller warehouse for vegetables and other high-value crops at a 1.3-hectare section of the sprawling government property in Taguig City. The facility will be equipped with a trading area, and will prioritize farmers’ produce for buffer stocking, he added.
“Half of the warehouse should be allocated for the coil system, kalahati evaporator type. The evaporator type is for short-term storage of high-value crops. Iyong coil, because there is no circulating fan, moisture is kept within the storage, it will keep things fresh for a longer period,” he explained.
With two types of cold storage facilities under the plan—frozen and chilled—Laurel said the Philippines will have less worries over post harvest spoils.
