Warehouses will soon be constructed in seven municipalities of Apayao to boost the income of farmers here.

Apayao is known to be a farmers’ haven with wide fertile farmlands that produces bountiful agricultural products like rice, corn, banana, and coffee, among others. Conversely, lack of safe storage facilities to keep these crops was identified as among the factors hindering the desired economic build up for the province.

Reports from the Office of the Agricultural Services show that losses brought about by the absence of storage facilities for major crops reach up to 30% while only 10% could have been lost if these were stored in appropriate warehouses or storage facilities.

“Farmers are forced to sell their products at lower and dictated prices to rice millers and buyers who have storage facilities,” the report said.

Moreover, the office also anticipates that with the establishment of said warehouses, farmers’ income are projected to rise.   Accordingly, with the storage of rice, corn, coffee and other major crops in safe warehouses, the farmers can look out for the increase of buying prices and give them ample time to sort out their products into sizes or grades for better pricing as well.

It is with this premise that the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)  Support Office for Luzon A Cluster forwarded its no objection for the award of the construction of said warehouses to CAMIA Construction Development Corporation to build  the aforementioned warehouses located in the following sites with their corresponding costs:  Calafug, Conner, Apayao (P9,853,902.29); Kalyat, Lenneng, Kabugao (P11,364,693.19); Panay, Sta. Marcela, Apayao (P10,742,850.16); Poblacion East, Flora, Apayao (P10,971,360.32); San Gregorio, Luna, Apayao (P10,871,606.80); Tanglagan, Calanasan, Apayao (P10,644,018.78). All in all the total aggregate amount has reached P74,634.817.55.

In view of the foregoing, the construction of the said warehouses is seen to  reduce losses and product deterioration due to spoilage, maintain the quality of grains and crops, arrive at higher value/buying price thereby increasing the income of the farmers as well as to increase viability of agricultural products in the province.

Meanwhile, the proponents from the municipality of Kabugao claim that “the establishment of warehouses will further increase the availability of the commodities by saving for future needs of the community during lean months and during calamities, as well as to safeguard oneself from the fear of panic buying”.

Also, the proponents added that the existence of warehouses shall balance the supply and demand of crops in the municipality and to increase the quality of stored commodities as well.

The said warehouses were among the ‘stand-alone’ subprojects forwarded to the PRDP for funding which does not have to be based on the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) of the Province.

These projects are responsive to the  platform of the government through the PRDP  to establish a modern, climate-smart and market oriented agri-fishery sector while partnering with local government units and private sector in providing key infrastructures, facilities and the like that will boost income, productivity and competitiveness in the countryside. (Ma Isabel Zabala, DA-PRDP RPCO CAR InfoACE)