DA opens P500-M Bicol cold storage facility to boost food security

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said the government has officially opened the Bicol Mega Cold Storage Warehouse, the agency’s first completed project under its cold storage expansion program.

In a statement on Monday, the DA said the P500-million facility will boost food security and farmers’ income in the region.

“It directly addresses a chronic gap in agriculture, the lack of reliable and energy-efficient storage and transport systems,” the agency said.

The DA said the warehouse features temperature-controlled rooms for pork, beef, poultry, fish, fruits, and vegetables, with a combined annual capacity exceeding 200,000 metric tons.

The facility also has preparation rooms for blast freezing, processing, and packaging, allowing farmers and producers to extend shelf life, meet market standards, and secure better prices, the agency said.

“This facility underscores the commitment of the Marcos administration to cut post-harvest losses, raise farmers’ incomes, stabilize food supply, and ensure lasting rural development,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. was quoted as saying in the statement.

The DA said the timing of the Bicol warehouse’s opening is timely, particularly as transport and production costs have been rising.

“The timing is critical, especially at this time when geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has sent fuel prices soaring. Without cold storage, many [farmers] are forced to sell quickly at low prices or risk losing their harvest,” the DA said. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel