CABANATUAN CITY (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) Central Luzon has turned over a P4.6 million solar-powered multi-commodity dehydration facility to Barangay Baloy, Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, as part of the High Value Crops Development Program.
This facility is designed to reduce post-harvest losses and expand opportunities for processing agricultural products, particularly lowland vegetables in the region.
DA Central Luzon Regional Executive Director Eduardo Lapuz Jr. said the project costs P3,950,948.92 for the structure and P720,000 for the dehydrating machine, bringing the total to P4,670,948.92.
The Orient Agriculture Cooperative of Nueva Ecija has been selected as the primary beneficiary of the facility, which is expected to help increase members’ income by enabling them to produce various dehydrated products from their harvests.
The cooperative, for its part, committed to properly maintaining and utilizing the facility.
Currently, only three areas in the region have been equipped with a dehydrating machine, with Nueva Ecija being one of them.
Through this project, the DA aims to further strengthen the agriculture sector in the province and sustain its standing as a key producer of vegetables in Central Luzon. (CLJD/MAECR, PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)
