Ilocos norte: Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc on Thursday urged the wise use of an "underutilized" multimillion-peso cold storage facility in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, to benefit more farmers. Worth PHP33.4 million and funded by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), the facility, currently used by tomato growers, was turned over to the San Joaquin Multi-Purpose Cooperative on July 29, 2024.

According to Philippines News Agency, the first operational cold storage in the Ilocos Region under the PRDP can store up to 100 metric tons of tomatoes. Manotoc, however, emphasized that the facility should be accessible to more than just tomato growers. "As recipient of the industrial cold storage facility, we asked the San Joaquin Multi-Purpose Cooperative to open the cold storage to everyone," he stated in an interview, highlighting that only one party has rented it, leading to its underutilization.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculture and the Provincial Board's Committee on Non-Government Organization are tasked with closely monitoring the cold storage facility's operation. This oversight comes as the San Joaquin Multi-Purpose Cooperative seeks accreditation as a non-government organization through Provincial Resolution 2025-10-056.

In a separate interview, engineer Ma. Teresa Bacnat, officer in charge of the Provincial Agriculture Office, disclosed that a group of onion growers in Pasuquin town is planning to use the cold storage facility to extend the shelf life of their produce next harvest season. "The cold storage facility is not in use right now because farmers are still getting ready for the planting season," she explained.