William Dar. Credit: DA Communications Group
Ecozen has launched its Ecofrost cold storage solution in the Philippines, collaborating with with the country’s Department of Agriculture and Next Agri Corporation Philippines.
The India-based company’s solar-powered, modular on-farm cold storage room is set to be used by Filipino growers to help reduce post-harvest loss.
William Dar, agriculture secretary of the Philippines said the units could be easily installed in remote areas without access to electricity.
“We welcome this innovative and inclusive technology that can be adopted anywhere in the Philippine countryside, simply with the aid of renewable solar energy,” Dar said.
“Like in other developing countries, the Philippine agriculture sector has been suffering from high post-harvest losses. In high-value crops alone, the losses can easily reach 20-40 per cent.”
ManyFilipino farming communities are located in remote, off-grid locations at risk of natural disasters such as typhoons and floods.
Dar said appropriate on-site cold storage facilities could play a crucial role in preserving farmers’ produce, increasing their income, ensuring food security and export competitiveness across the country; the challenge was to make thefacility affordable and sustainable.
