NORTHERN Mindanao Agriculture department (DA-10) has poured a P6.9-million fund to build a warehouse for farm produce in Baliangao town in Misamis Occidental to help reduce farmers’ post-harvest losses, a press statement said on Saturday (Nov.28).
DA-RFO 10 regional executive director Carlene C. Collado said the department sees the farmers as a significant part of nation-building and assured that delivery of services will continue, especially during this ongoing pandemic.
Collado said the fund for the warehouse will come from the department’s Rice Program, the soon-to-rise warehouse has a total area of 255 square meters with a 252-ton capacity, which can hold about 5,000 sacks, the report said.
A total of P6.9-million worth of various agri-interventions were poured out to the Local Government Unit of Baliangao town at barangay Landing, this town, according to Collado.
The facility aims to address the farmers’ clamor of having a storage area for their farm inputs, harvest, machinery, and equipment for safekeeping, with accessibility to the production area; thereby, saving on hauling and other additional costs.
Meanwhile, Baliangao mayor Agne S. Yap, Sr said with the impending establishment of the warehouse, Yap envisions a more developed and progressive agricultural sector in said town.
“Majority of our constituents are farmers and they are in dire need of such facility, considering the town is home to 750 hectares of irrigated and 22 hectares rainfed rice areas,” Yap said.
Yap even urged his staff to support more farmer-cooperatives and associations in drafting resolutions, assisting them in their project proposal preparation.
Together, about P1.9 million worth of various agri-interventions funded by the department’s Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) were handed over to the municipality.
This includes 2 units mobile rice mill, 3 units power tiller, 3 units hand tractor/multi-crop cultivator, 68 bags Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) corn seeds, 378 packs OPV vegetable seeds, 130 bags organic fertilizer, 46 boxes antibacterial sachets, 28 canisters wound spray, 49 packs vitamin A, D and E, and 11 boxes electrolytes-dextrose-nutrient celycine.
Landing Farmers Cooperative president and MAFC Baliangao President Marlyn P. Gumahad said at this time, farmers are selling palay at P13-15 to neighboring towns that are privately-owned and operated.
"Sa itukuray nga warehouse, mapondo na among abot ug mapalit kining bulto sa National Food Authority (NFA),” said Gumahad.
Collado is hoping that Baliangao town will grow into one of the agricultural hubs in Misamis Occidental. (Angie Cabig/John Carl R. Anito/DA-10)
