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A P500-million cold storage facility is under construction in Camarines Sur and should be ready by yearend
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The facility is a major infrastructure project of the Department of Agriculture expected to enhance food security, generate jobs, and spur agri-investments
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The cold storage complex will have six massive refrigerated warehouses, each capable of storing approximately 224 tons of agricultural products
A P500-million cold storage facility is under construction in Camarines Sur and should be ready by yearend.
The facility is a major infrastructure project of the Department of Agriculture that is expected to enhance food security, generate jobs, spur agri-investments, and boost farmers’ incomes in the Bicol region and nearby areas.
“This mega cold storage facility is scheduled to open in December and will be capable of storing a wide range of agricultural commodities, including vegetables, meat, chicken and fish,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr in a statement. Laurel inspected the site where the facility is rising alongside Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
“It features a solar power system to help cut electricity costs, a blast freezer, and a processing and packing area to support value-adding services for our farmers,” said Tiu Laurel.
He said the project aligns with the administration’s vision of turning farmers into “agri-preneurs” who are not only food producers but also key contributors to economic growth.
The cold storage complex will have six massive refrigerated warehouses, each capable of storing approximately 224 tons of agricultural products.
With a total capacity exceeding 1,300 tons, the facility is expected to serve not just Camarines Sur, but also other parts of Bicol, the Visayas, and even Mindanao, whose products pass through the province on their way to Metro Manila and other major markets.
“This will help our farmers diversify, add more value to their produce, and ultimately earn more,” said Villafuerte.
The governor added that the province is working to ensure the facility is completed by December, this year.
The agriculture chief said the Camarines Sur facility is part of a nationwide network of mega and modular cold storage complexes that his department is rolling out.
Other sites set to open starting next year include Taguig City, Cabanatuan City, and the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Isabela. In addition, over 100 modular cold storage units will be deployed to various farming communities across the country.
“This is how we build a food-secure and farmer-empowered Philippines,” Tiu Laurel said.
