Batac City: A solar-powered seed warehouse with cold storage and acclimatization rooms is now ready to provide rice farmers with quality seeds to boost food security. The 450-square-meter facility, located at the compound of the National Tobacco Administration and PhilRice in Barangay Tabug, Batac City, Ilocos Norte, was inaugurated on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, PhilRice-Batac director Dr. Mary Ann Baradi highlighted the warehouse as a crucial addition to existing infrastructure, complementing the first seed warehouse funded by the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 1 in 2022-2023. Dr. Baradi emphasized the importance of these facilities in enhancing the capacity to store and preserve seeds, ensuring the availability of high-quality rice seeds for farmers, especially amid challenges such as climate change.

The PHP17.98 million warehouse project was financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Korea. Dr. Baradi described the warehouse as a milestone in the ongoing partnership between Korea and the Philippines, aimed at improving the country’s agricultural infrastructure and strengthening food security.

With the new warehouse, farmers in the region have easier access to quality rice seeds, which can help improve their production. The project was initially conceptualized in 2019 but experienced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It underwent thorough assessment, including a feasibility study and social and environmental evaluation, to ensure its merits and viability.

The inauguration event was attended by officials from the city and provincial government, Philippine Supply Chain Project of the Global Policy Institute, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, National Tobacco Administration, and Mariano Marcos State University.