ARITAO, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has awarded a cold storage facility worth P20.7 million to farmers of onion and other spice products in Nueva Vizcaya.

The hybrid, solar, and electric-powered, onion cold storage located at the Growth Center Compound in this town has a capacity of 270 metric tons or 10,000 bags of onion and other spice products of the Aritao Irrigators Multi-Purpose Cooperative and other farmers’ cooperatives in the province.

The facility was funded through the 2023 General Appropriations Act under the DA’s High-Value Crops Development Program. 

Carol Albay, Regional High-Value Crops Development Program coordinator, said the newly-completed onion cold storage will augment the first onion post-harvest facility, which was awarded in June 2022 in barangay Nagcuartelan in this town, for the members of the Federation of Aritao Farmers Onion, Garlic and Ginger Growers Association (FAFOGGGA).

She said Nueva Vizcaya has a total of 1,634.95 hectares devoted to onion farming, while Aritao town has 700 hectares of agricultural land planted with onions and other crops.

Albay said the facility will preserve the quality of onion products in time for their high market prices.

“In fact, after six months of operation of our first onion cold storage in barangay Nagcuartelan, FAFOGGGA earned a net income of P1.4 million,” she said. 

The onion industry in the province starts with planting from November to December, the harvest period from March to April, and lean months from August to October each year.

But Albay said onion farming in the province is expanding even in upland areas which require more interventions from their agency.

She said bigger storage facilities are expected to be completed this year for onion farmers in Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, and Ramon, Isabela.

Mayor Remelina Peros-Galam thanked the agriculture department for its continuing support and assistance to spice farmers in their town.

She said the number of spice farmers has increased from 1,300 to 1,600 because of the post-harvest facility support given by the DA and the provision of land as the counterpart of their local government unit.

The DA-funded cold storage facilities are co-managed by the LGU and Farmers’ Cooperative Associations.

Aritao town is recognized by the DA as the ‘Onion Capital’ in Cagayan Valley where the yearly Onion (Panagsisibuyas) Festival is held in March.

 The awarding and turnover program for the onion cold storage facility was led by DA Regional Executive Director Mary Rose Aquino, joined by Representative Luisa Cuaresma and local officials. (OTB/BME/PIA NVizcaya)