The Department of Agriculture (DA) has rolled out P64 million in farm aid and post-harvest investments in Vinzons, Camarines Norte, to address gaps in production, storage, processing, and machinery use across the province.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the official turnover of these interventions on Monday, highlighted by the inauguration of a P10.8-million modular cold storage facility built to strengthen the province’s renowned Formosa Queen pineapple industry. This 40-foot temperature-controlled unit runs on a hybrid power system combining solar panels, a wind turbine, and a diesel generator — all designed to preserve produce quality and extend how long it can be sold in markets. “This facility will safeguard the Formosa Queen, prized worldwide for its crisp texture, sweet aroma, and distinct reddish edges, which is grown by some 1,570 local farmers,” Tiu Laurel stated. Beyond pineapples, the cold storage will also serve other major crops including lowland vegetables and other highly perishable goods, giving farmers better post-harvest handling options to maintain quality, reduce spoilage, and lengthen marketability.
The National Corn Program also turned over a P10.6-million feed mill facility, a hauling truck, and processing equipment to the Unlad Magsasaka Mais Sagana Farmers Association. Rice farmers in Labo and Vinzons received P23 million worth of hybrid palay seeds and fertilizers for the dry season, while the DA provided P2.02 million in farm inputs. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization contributed P14.7 million in heavy farm machinery — four four-wheel-drive tractors and four rice combine harvesters — and the DA extended P450,000 in assistance for high-value vegetable production. Completing the support package, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management turned over two composting facilities and a solar power system worth P2.23 million to boost proper waste management and organic fertilizer production.
Tiu Laurel emphasized that these investments in post-harvest infrastructure and farm mechanization aim to cut produce losses, raise work efficiency, grow farmers’ steady income, and strengthen Camarines Norte’s agricultural economy.
