PILI, Camarines Sur — A P500-million cold storage facility being built in Pili is close to opening and is expected to help farmers and fishers in Bicol earn more and reduce food losses.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund “L-Ray” Villafuerte Jr. inspected the project on Wednesday. Officials said the facility may start operations by late February or early March, after construction delays caused by typhoons last year.
The cold storage complex is the largest of its kind in the Bicol region. It will allow farmers and fishers to store meat, vegetables, and other perishable products instead of selling them right away at low prices. This is expected to help stabilize supply and prices while improving incomes.
The facility includes six refrigerated warehouses that can store up to 4,600 metric tons of meat or 3,000 metric tons of vegetables. It also has a blast freezer, packing and processing areas, and a solar power system to reduce electricity costs.
Officials said the project will serve not only Camarines Sur but also the rest of Bicol, as well as parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, since much of the produce from those areas already passes through the province on the way to Luzon markets.
The Department of Agriculture also plans to invest another P500 million in a food hub that will support trading and distribution. Construction of the hub is expected to begin in June.
Once completed, the cold storage facility and food hub are expected to reduce post-harvest losses, improve food security, and open higher-value markets for farmers and fishers in the region.
