DA’s P20-M cold storage facility in Agusan town sits idly due to temperature glitch

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 30 January) — The P20million monolithic dome cold storage facility, constructed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in March 2022, has become useless for four months now because its interior temperature is allegedly not working properly, an official said.

Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo said Sunday the local government allocated P1 million for the installation of the electrical system to power the cold storage facility.

However, the cooling equipment could only lower its temperature to 15 degrees Celsius (°C), far from the 2 °C needed to preserve the shelf life of vegetables and fruits stored in the facility, she noted.

Based on the results of the month-long test run conducted by the local government in August last year, some vegetables, stored at 15 °C, could only last for days instead of the projected one-month preservation period.

Bravo said that a technical working group (TWG), comprised of farmers, technicians from the municipal agriculture office, and representatives from other local agencies, was formed to monitor the cold storage’s trial operation.

According to their findings, okra only lasted four days before starting to rot, bananas wrapped in cellophane ripened to yellow after a month but remained green if unwrapped, wrapped eggplants remained fresh after a month, while squash and watermelon stored at room temperature stayed fresh.

Bravo said the cold storage’s failure to serve its purpose prompted her to halt its operation, especially upon discovering the costly energy consumption of the month-long trial period, at P90,000.

Before the trial run, the TWG investigated other monolithic domes in different areas of the country and found “that none had become functional.”

Bravo said the local government still conducted the trial run, despite the findings of the TWG, with the hope their cold storage facility will work.

Ricardo Oñate, DACaraga regional director, reportedly gave assurances that corrective measures would be implemented through innovations to ensure the facility’s proper functioning.

The mayor said the operations of the cold storage facility would resume once the problem is fixed.

The dome, resembling a large refrigerator, aims to preserve perishable goods like vegetables and fruits by slowing down the deterioration process, extending their shelf life for several weeks and, thus, reducing losses.

Former Mayor Solomon Rufila, who received the dome project in March 2022, said then the facility would be helpful to local farmers, as it will allow them to store their produce when prices are low and wait until market conditions become better. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)