By: Reyna Omictin

The Provincial Agriculture Office has convened the Local Government Unit of Tubigon for a proposed establishment of a P 9.3M-budgeted Ice Plant and Cold Storage (Cold Chain) last June 17 at JJ’s Foodstream in Tubigon. Together with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources head Cris Pahamutang and Ms. Remedios Y. Regadio of PAO discussed their plans with LGU-Tubigon through the Municipal Agriculturist Mrs. Yolanda Labella, regarding the matter on the Cold Storage for the marine and aquatic resources of the municipality. PAO explained that since municipal fisheries and aquatic resources contributed to the production by different types of fishery sectors, there is a need to assist fisher folks in maintaining the freshness of their products. With this concern, [they] have decided to establish a Cold Storage to accommodate the needs of these products to retain its quality and prolong its shelf-life.

This project, as PAO explained, “is a post-harvest facility known as Ice Plant and Cod Storage to ensure the freshness of the fish and the other fishery products from the time it is landed until it reaches the market.” PAO added that this project will help lessen post-harvest losses caused by the absence of proper preservation. Moreover, the cold storage was also proposed by the municipality to be a multi-commodity storage, not just plainly for marine products but as well as for other products such as meat and veggies since the municipality is also a centre of trade for these products. This way, the storage will be utilized well resulting to more revenues for the municipality. The primary beneficiaries of the project, according to PAO, “are the small and medium scale fish farmers, fishers, and fish vendors in the municipality who are primarily dependent on the marine resources and fishery products as their means of livelihood.” If the project will be approved, it will address the problem of high fish price, fish production and supply will be assured and will increase productivity of the fishing industry. For the proposed location for the project, which the LGU has renamed as “Fish Landing”, it was suggested to construct the building at a 1,000 square meter area in Barangay Tinangnan, Tubigon. However, there is a need to reclaim a portion of the vicinity due to a short hitch, where water may enter the building when the tide rises. As of press time, the LGU is currently in the process of complying with the necessary requirements for the realization of the “Cold Storage Project”.