Where is the “Cold Chain” Infrastructure Improvement within the Philippine Cold Chain (PCCP) Project?

PCCP IN KIND GRANT PROJECTS-EQUIPMENT (COLD ROOMS AND ICE PLANTS)

The Philippine Cold Chain Project (PCCP) ($17 million, 5 year) project on its fourth year of implementation.  The PCCP’s two objectives are: 1) to increase agricultural productivity; and 2) to expand trade of agricultural products. The following In-Kind Grant Cold Storage/Cold Room projects provides a sample of “big ticket” projects that PCCP is involved with in the Caraga Region. These are either on-going or have been completed, namely:

  

Carmen Mango Packing House Project Cold Storage

In the Municipality of Carmen, Agusan del Sur, mango is considered a major crop and an income and investment generating industry in the municipality.  The local government unit has allocated funds to support the development of the mango industry in the area.  In fact, the LGU-Carmen has identified mango and its by-products as their priority product under the One Town One Product (OTOP) Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Carmen has some 629 hectares that are devoted solely to mango plantations. About half of these are fully developed and are already producing quality sweet mango fruits.  Majority of the harvested fruits are classified as “export grade” and are sold in volume in Cebu, and Manila.

Despite of this potential, most of the mango farmers are not able to fully benefit primarily due to lack of support facilities such as central packing house and cold storage for the harvested produce which are highly perishable when ripened of which the unavailability of processing center, central packing plant and cooling or chilling are critical part of preservation until brought to the target market. Any delays significantly reduce quality, shelf life and subsequently its value or price.

The facility will have 2 cold rooms with a total floor area of 112 M² where mangoes classified as processed grade will be stored to prolong its shelf life and enable the year round production of dried mangoes, mango puree and mango juice by the Carmen Mango Processing Center.

  

Butuan Slaughterhouse Chilling Room

By investing in the chilling room equipment to improve the services of the slaughterhouse facility, the project can help ensure that clean and sanitary meat is delivered to the populace of Butuan City and to the adjacent areas in Agusan del Norte. This will benefit consumers as well as the meat market because the demand will increase once the quality of meat product is improved. The facility will thus create new income-generating opportunities for meat retailers, meat product wholesalers, processors, livestock traders, and even local eateries.

Winrock PCCP is supporting De Oro AJECC Inc., by providing refrigeration equipment for the 72 M² chilling room and railings of approximately 80 linear meters.  Upon completion this will ensure that the carcass temperature will be reduced from around 40^O degrees Celsius to 4^O degrees prior to delivery to the end-users and meat will be clean and hygienic.  Winrock PCCP will provide insulated panels and chiller equipment as well.

Agri- Pinoy Trading Center (APTC) in Siargao Island Cold Room and Ante Room

The end-goal of the APTC is to transform a prevailing marketing system for agricultural and aqua marine products that is trader/middle man centered into one that empowers the basic producer groups (fishers and farmers) and ensures more favorable prices for their marketable quantities, in effect raising their incomes.

This PCCP assisted project to the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte will improve the food security status of the island which has been a deficit area in almost all agricultural and fishery products. The cold storage facility will lengthen the shelf life of the highly perishable marine products, meat and including vegetable and fruits that are being traded in the trading center by the local producers. The total floor area of the cold storage with anteroom is 48 square meters.

Surigao City Slaughterhouse Chilling Room

The installation of new refrigeration equipment at the cold storage of the Surigao Slaughterhouse will help the facility produce safe and hygienic meat carcasses.

PCCP will provide the 18.5 M² cold room and ante room refrigeration equipment including A-Frames to improve the service delivery of the abattoir to the meat consuming public of Surigao City and the surrounding areas. Upon completion this will ensure that the carcasses temperature will be reduced from around 40^O degrees Celsius to 4^O degrees prior to delivery to the end-users.

CAMPUMARVENA Ice Plant & Cold Storage Cantilan and A&M Multi-Purpose Cooperative

The abundance of marine resources available for fishing and the production of marine products still keeps the majority of the producers not able to fully benefit from bounty that the sea provides due to the lack of post-harvest facilities like cold storage and ice. 

There is a need for an efficient cold storage and ice plant facility in the area to extend and preserve the quality of the marine products harvested. Marine products are highly perishable, and pre cooling is highly critical in keeping the freshness and quality of the products.

The PCCP intends to contribute to the development of the fisheries and marine sector in the Municipality of Cantilan and nearby towns by supporting the establishment of an ice plant and a 54 M² cold storage facility each for both Cantilan and A&M Multi-Purpose Cooperative to support full commercialization of production and boosting local competitiveness.

By having a source of clean ice, where the catch or harvest can be immediately placed (i.e. having ice and fish boxes on the boats) will temporarily preserve the product until it reaches the mainland where it will be processed or stocked in a cold storage facility or be transported to the market.

Any delays in cooling fish significantly reduce the quality, shelf life and subsequently its value.  At worst the fish spoils and the products which will then be thrown away. Without the ice making and cold storage facilities, fisher folks are compelled to immediately sell their products at prices set by the middlemen. As such, despite of the potential high value of their marine products, producers remain as price-takers instead of price makers. 

  

Ralav Cold Storage

Ralav Corporation is a private enterprise that is engaged in the distribution of non-perishable and perishable products like processed food products, primarily from Nestle.  Aside from the distribution of products in the Caraga Region, Ralav Corporation is also expanding its capacity to cater to the cold storage requirements and the warehousing requirements of other food product locators from Manila and other areas with plans to lease out cold storage space including the provision of management and logistical services like handing and hauling.

Currently, there is no cold storage facility in Butuan City that offers a cold storage warehouse services that can accommodate the requirements of the various businesses.  The nearest area with these facilities is in Cagayan de Oro City which is approximately 250 kilometers distance from Butuan.

Ralav Corporation management decided to construct a cold storage facility with a floor area of 345 M².  The design of the structure will have provisions and be compatible for the installation of insulated panels and cooling equipment.  Once completed, the cold storage facility storing space will be rented out to locators and producers for their perishable goods and products.

  

Pilmico Meat Cutting Plant Cold Room

Initial results of the implementation of the Swine Repopulation Project shows remarkable increase in hog production among producer group partners of PCCP, both in number of families engaged in swine raising, and in number of animals raised. However, small producers are not getting the full benefit of the increased production. Raisers still need to position themselves as producers that can guarantee consistency, not only in terms of product quality, but also in terms of supply regularity. The usual buyers, such as meat vendors and meat shops, as well as local meat fabricators supplying meat shops, convenience stores and mall-based groceries, are mainly being regularly supplied by traders with stocks coming mainly from outside of Caraga Region.

PILMICO and Happy Enterprise and Resources Inc., decided to put up a cutting plant project.  PILMICO presented the project to the PCCP for possible collaboration.  Since PCCP has two objectives: 1) to increase agricultural productivity; and 2) to expand trade of agricultural products, the PCCP participated by providing refrigeration equipment for the 372 M² cutting plant cold rooms and main cutting area.

(Thanks to Mateo De Guzman for development of this compilation!)