DA okays proposed P256-M Talavera onion cold storage
TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija – The proposed construction of a 120,000 bag-capacity onion cold storage sub-project by the municipal government was approved by the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) through its Central Luzon Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB), it was learned.
Mayor Nerito “JR” Santos Jr. said this is the first proposed sub-project approved by the Central Luzon RPAB headed by regional project director Dr. Arthur D. Dayrit under the DA’s PDRP Scale-Up program, the expanded version of the agency’s flagship program supported by the World Bank since 2014.
He said the municipal government is the main proponent of the proposed P255.99 million facility to be built in Bgy. Bantug Hacienda whose construction will now be endorsed to the DA-PRDP’s National Project Coordination Office for the issuance of the No Objection Letter 1 that would allow the project to proceed with the procurement process.
Accompanying the mayor during the deliberation by the DA-PRDP-RPAB of the proposed sub-project at the DA-regional field office in San Fernando City, Pampanga were his elder sister, Vice Mayor Nerivi Santos-Martinez, and father, municipal administrator Nerito “Nery” Santos Sr.
“Salamat po at ang ating pangarap para sa mga magsisibuyas ay nagkaroon ng katuparan. Salamat po kay Regional Project Director Dr. Arthur Dayrit at sa lahat ng bumubuo ng Regional Project Advisory Board sa inyong malasakit para sa mga maliliit na onion farmers. Salamat po sa mga taong tumulong sa amin para sa napakahalagang proyektong ito,” said the mayor, in expressing his gratitude to the DA-PDRP for approving the project.
The putting up of said subproject in the area would provide easier access for storage to onion farmers not only from Talavera but also from other neighboring towns such as Aliaga, Quezon, Sto. Domingo, and Llanera.
This first-class town is ranked fourth among the 27 municipalities and five cities in Nueva Ecija in terms of onion production, according to the DA-PDRP’s Expanded Vulnerability and Suitability Assessment (E-VSA).
