Balaoan: Post-harvest losses of farmers in La Union will soon be addressed with the construction of a World Bank-funded storage facility with solar dryer in Balaoan, La Union. The PHP16.7-million project consists of 250 square meters of storage area with a capacity of 4,444 bags of peanut or mungbean and a 572.37sqm solar dryer with a drying capacity of 250 bags per batch.

According to Philippines News Agency, the construction began on June 15 and is expected to be finished next year, as stated by John Martin of the provincial government media affairs office. "Ang storage facility with solar dryer ang nakikitang solusyon ng probinsya para matugunan ang epekto ng post-harvest losses sa mga magsasaka dahil sa kakulangan ng tamang imbakan. Ang kanilang mga ani ay tinatabi lang sa bahay gamit ang trapal o sako na siyang dahilan ng mabilis na pagkasira ng aning produkto (The storage facility with solar dryer is seen by the province to be the solution to address the effects of post-harvest losses of the farmers due to the lack of proper storage. Their (farmers') produce are just kept in their houses, covered with tarp or sacks, hence they easily spoil)," according to the provincial government.

Twenty-two farmers associations, cooperatives, and irrigators associations from the towns of Balaoan, Bacnotan, and Luna will benefit from the project once it is in operation.