BOI grants incentives to post-harvest facility in Bukidnon to boost productivity

A post-harvest facility for corn in Bukidnon has been granted incentives by the Board of Investments to boost productivity in the region, the agency said Wednesday. Davao Maramag Agri-Venture Inc.'s P63.3-million facility will begin operations in March 2013 and employ 46. It will have an annual capacity of 24,000 metric tons of ried corn grains, used in manufacturing feeds for livestock and poultry. Priority industry The BOI's helping out the facility is part of its 2012 Investments Priorities Plan, which outlines investment activities considered to be enablers or triggers for job creation and value-added activities to the economy. The IPP includes agriculture and agribusiness as among its preferred activities, and covers agriculture activities such as irrigation, post-harvest, cold storage, blast freezing, marketing infrastructure, and production of fertilizers and pesticides. Boosting productivity The BOI is banking on the facility's boosting corn productivity in the region, as Bukidnon is among the country's top corn-producing provinces. According to the Department of Agriculture, there are currently seven corn-drying and storage facilities in Bukidnon with 10,000 to 100,000 metric tons’ yearly capacity. There are about 24 company buyers and corn traders in Region 10 and 11 alone. A study of corn farmers in Region 10 by the National Corn Competitiveness Board found that a corn farmer can earn as much as P16,000 per hectare. The BOI said the project will also benefit allied industries, specifically those engaged in logistics, corn supply, plastics, sacks, and containers and capital equipment. The National Food Authority earlier said that production losses could be prevented by improving post-harvest processes of grains in the Philippines, which include post-harvest machines and equipment. This move, said the NFA, could help address the 10- to 37-percent annual harvest loss due to processing. — BM, GMA News