Gov. Marcos Manotoc leads groundbreaking of 1st cold storage facility in Ilocos Norte

In line with his initiatives to further boost Ilocos Norte’s agricultural sector, Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc led the groundbreaking of the province’s first large-scale tomato cold storage facility, with Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Director Annie Q. Barres and Mayor Remigio B. Medrano, in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, on July 19.

With funding from the World Rural Bank under DA’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), this joint project with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) and San Joaquin Multi-purpose Cooperative represents a significant step towards addressing the challenges of tomato preservation and making fresh produce available to the Ilokano community and nearby provinces.

Ilocos Norte is a renowned agricultural province considered as the country’s leading producer of garlic and native shallots, as well as the second largest tomato and dragon fruit producer.

This cold storage facility demonstrates the province’s strong commitment in supporting local farmers by providing them with better access to markets by prolonging the freshness of produce and reducing post-harvest losses due to spoilage. 

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Gov. Marcos Manotoc expressed the importance of this project, stating:

“This is truly a momentous day, but with this milestone comes a large amount of responsibility. May we take this very seriously and ensure that all of our different groups really fulfill their responsibilities. Let us hold each other accountable, let us closely monitor, professionally manage this, and ultimately have this benefits reach our farmers and our agricultural sector.”

The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte is committed to driving sustainable innovations in the agriculture sector, and aims to reshape the industry through advanced technologies, responsible practices, and collaborative partnerships with farmers and its stakeholders.

“I congratulate all of you but this is just the beginning, the hard work lies ahead of us and we are truly making history in Ilocos Norte. Rest assured nandito po ako at nandito po ang buong provincial government to support San Joaquin and this cold storage project all the way.” he ended