Another onion cold storage facility will be built in Nueva Ecija province as part of the government’s continuing effort to help farmers lessen their post-harvest losses.

The facility to be constructed in Barangay Bantug, Talavera town can hold up to 60,000 bags of onion.

The project which costs some PHP125 million will be funded by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project.

Local officials broke ground for the facility on Wednesday.

Bernie Valdez, chief of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, said on Thursday the construction of the onion cold storage is in response to the request of the local government unit of Talavera in support of the farmers who are often forced to sell their produce even at a low price due to a lack of post-harvest facility.

“Pinagsumikapan ng pamahalaan na maibaba ang ganitong proyekto sa lalawigan bilang sagot sa panawagan ng mga magsisibuyas na napipilitang magbenta ng ani kahit palugi dahil sa kakulangan ng mapag-iimbakan (The government is trying to bring this kind of project in the province in response to the call of the onion farmers who are often forced to sell their yields even at a loss due to lack of storage facility),” Valdez said in a local radio interview.

Talavera Mayor Nerito Santos said this is the first onion cold storage facility to be put up in their town and will benefit the 600 farmer-members of the Bantug Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

“Ito po ay talagang para sa mga onion growers. Halimbawa po kung mura ang sibuyas pwede po nila itong ilagay sa ating cold storage at kung mataas na ang presyo ng sibuyas ay pwede na nila ilabas at ibenta (This is certainly for onion growers. For example, if the price of onions is low, they can put that in our cold storage and once the price increases, they can bring out their produce and sell it),” Santos said.

The construction of the cold storage facility is expected to be finished within six months.

This is the third onion cold storage facility that broke ground in the province this month.

One is located in Cuyapo town and will benefit members of the Calancuasan Sur Farmers Association while the other is situated in Laur town and will benefit members of the San Vicente Alintutuan Irrigators Association. (PNA)