Palayan City, NUEVA ECIJA – Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William D. Dar visited the cold storage facility, here to check its current operation and management likewise to show support to the onion industry in the city and the province on Thursday afternoon, September 30, 2021.

Dar was welcomed by DA Central Luzon Regional Executive Director Crispulo G. Bautista Jr. joined by DA Philippine Rural Development Project Project Support Office (PRDP-PSO) North Luzon Deputy Project Director Elma Mananes, Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO 3) Action Officer Gil G. David, Palayan City Mayor Adrianne Cuevas and representatives from the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magsisibuyas ng Nueva Ecija (KASAMNE), local government units and other partner agencies.

The DA secretary was given a quick tour of the facility which has a capacity to store 120,000 bags of onion.

The cold storage facility is a pioneer project of the Infrastructure Development (I-BUILD) Component of the DA-PRDP, designed with precision to keep farm produce, specifically onions, to be stored at an ideal temperature.

It can be recalled that the project started in June 2019 and was completed and turned over to the local government in December of 2020.

Valued with a total cost of P190,800,767.45, the cold storage facility aims to reduce post-harvest losses, prolong the shelf life of onions and eventually obtain good price to generate more income for onion growers.

At present, the facility is managed by the KASAMNE which first started its operations in March of this year thru an agreement with the City of Palayan.  Ma. Reina Len Luna, RPCO 3 InfoACE