The Department of Agriculture will put up more infrastructure projects in Benguet such as food processing and packaging house with cold storage facilities to aid the farmers.
Agriculture Sec. William Dar, in his recent visit to the province, said another P20 million would be given to Benguet State University. This is on top of the P20M earlier allotted for the put up of a food processing facility in the university.
The food processing facility would help in adding value to the produce of farmers as well as aiding in the marketing of vegetables and fruits. The agency’s Bureau of Agricultural Research funded the facility in partnership with BSU.
DA and the provincial government have plans to establish a packaging house with cold storage worth P20M. Talks are underway if the facility will be constructed along the Halsema Highway.
“Benguet supplies 80 percent of veggies nationwide, that’s how important you are. So, you need to sustain your industry,” Dar said in his talk with the farmers.
The agency is also bent on helping the farmers establish their market linkages as well as providing logistics through its “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita” which is a direct marketing program of the DA.
Dar also announced there is an additional P24 billion allocated for DA this year, of which P5B is allocated for the construction of farm-to-market-roads under the Bayanihan 2 fund.
Dar said bulk of the funding for FMRs is allocated to the Cordillera region. – Ofelia C. Empian
