THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has established three teams tasked with developing and building key infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing food production, with a focus on rice and corn, and reducing post-harvest losses.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel has created the teams to develop feasibility studies for priority infrastructure projects to be led by Undersecretary for Special Concerns and for Official Development Assistance Jerome Oliveros.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Photo from Department of Agriculture FB page

The three project-preparation teams are tasked to draft the framework and plans for the proposed post-harvest program for rice and corn, solar-powered cold storages, and proposed solar-powered irrigation systems.

Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro will co-chair the team assigned to formulate the feasibility study on the post-harvest program for rice and corn.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary for High Value Crops Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero will be the co-chairman of the team in-charge of the proposed solar-powered irrigation system project.

Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, who also serves as the department's spokesman, will assume the role of vice chairman for the team tasked with organizing the solar-powered cold storage project.

Tiu Laurel instructed the team working on the solar-powered irrigation system project to ensure alignment with the sites listed in the National Irrigation Administration's database and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management's irrigation master plan.

He also emphasized the need to ensure the project documents are compliant with the requirements of the DA-wide project clearing house system and the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee.

Earlier this year, the Agriculture chief said that around P94 billion is needed in the next couple of years to build facilities and minimize losses in harvest.

Tiu Laurel said that approximately P93 billion must be allocated for constructing post-harvest infrastructure for rice and corn to reduce losses.

Additionally, P1 billion is required for building cold storage facilities to prolong the shelf life of vegetables.

He said that this is in line with the DA's goal to modernize the agriculture sector, ensuring fair returns for farmers, affordable prices for consumers, and reasonable profits for traders.

In order to achieve this, the Agriculture secretary launched a three-year plan that involves expanding agri-fishery areas, modernizing production, improving infrastructure, optimizing logistics, enhancing market access, implementing digitalization, balancing developmental and regulatory roles, and fostering partnerships with the private sector.

Read The Rest at :