Around 500 garlic farmers in Vintar, Ilocos Norte are set to benefit from a newly opened multi-purpose warehouse with a solar dryer in Barangay San Jose, designed to improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.
Municipal agriculturist Maricel Serrano said the facility’s “full utilization” is expected early next year, coinciding with the February harvest season. “Most of our farmers are now preparing their farm lots for the planting season this coming November,” she told the Philippine News Agency.
The PHP11.4 million project, funded by the World Bank, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the local government of Vintar, is part of the Philippine Rural Development Project Scale-Up. The initiative aims to modernize and strengthen the country’s agriculture and fisheries sectors.
According to project data, the warehouse will increase the viability of produce by 50 percent and cut post-harvest losses by five percent. It can also store other farm commodities such as rice, peanuts, onions, and corn for a minimal fee.
The DA estimates that with proper storage and drying, farmers could increase their selling prices by 17.42 percent to as much as 127.27 percent.
Vintar Mayor Richard Degala said the facility will significantly ease farmers’ work. “The warehouse is beneficial to our farmers by ensuring quality storage of their produce. With the solar dryer, our farmers will no longer use road shoulders of highways to dry their produce, reducing post-harvest losses,” he said during the turnover ceremony on Oct. 15.