P40M food processing facility in Benguet to solve wastage of excess farm production

La Trinidad Benguet – The construction of the 40 Million pesos - worth Vegetable Packaging and Processing Facility at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC) in the capital town is expected to begin as the ground breaking ceremony commenced on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.

With this facility, the wastage of excess farm produce during overproduction can be minimized if not be solved altogether.

According to Dr. William Dar, Department of Agriculture Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) Cordillera, the said facility when completed will be used in processing unsold vegetables.

He further said he does not want instances where excess vegetables are just being wasted to happen again. By utilizing the facility, said vegetables will be converted to value-added products.

“The rationale of having this food processing facility, ayaw natin na mangyari muli na iyong excess ay matatapon lang. We still want to convert to value-added products,” Secretary Dar said.

In a report by the agency, it said the facility includes both the facility and the necessary equipment for packaging and processing. It further said the processing aspect will focus on the ready-to-cook vegetables.

Sec. Dar during his talk also encouraged the use of the work-of-the-art packaging facility and continue to promote it for value addition.

“One objective would be to have a packaging innovation unit that would continue to promote and introduce packaging materials that are relevant – to showcase new technology and show it to the people,” he said.

The facility, according to DA-CAR OIC-Regional Executive Director Cameron Odsey, will also complement the DA-funded processing facility in Benguet State University (BSU).

He was qouted saying,“The processing facility at BAPTC will focus on the initial processing activities such as washing and trimming while the more complicated processing activities such as juicing is for the BSU processing facility to work on.”

Secretary Dar has turned over P40 million seed capital to BAPTC which will be used in purchasing unsold vegetables to prevent huge income losses of farmers.

Other officials present during the ground breaking ceremony which was led by Secretary Dar himself were Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas, La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda, BAPTC Chief Operations Officer Dr. Violeta Salda, Benguet State University President Dr. Felipe Comila, and Planters Product President Mat Maderazo.

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