Taking one step closer to realizing the establishment of the first Monolithic Dome in the region, the Department of Agriculture-Caraga and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur conducted a groundbreaking on May 7 this year.

The groundbreaking signals the official start of the construction of the Monolithic Dome Cold Storage Facility in the said town.

Cold Storage is a facility that is like a large refrigerator that helps in keeping the freshness of the perishable goods such as vegetables and fruits by slowing down the deterioration process which prolongs its shelf life for several weeks and thus decreasing losses.

The Monolithic Dome Cold Storage and Packing Facility is an air-tight, super-insulated, and disaster-resistant structure that offers absolute protection against calamity.

It will be constructed on a 1,000 square meter land area in Barangay 1 in the town of San Francisco.

The project is under the DA – Caraga’s High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP). It costs P25,000,000.00 with P20,000,000.00 funded by the DA-Caraga and P5,000,000.00 as the LGU of San Francisco’s counterpart.

Municipal Mayor Solomon Rufila said he is thankful that the efforts of the LGU to help uplift the lives of the farmers are paying off.   He said he is thankful for the cold storage project which the farmers of the town would really benefit from.

On the other hand, DA-Caraga Regional Technical Director Nicandro M. Navia, Jr. said that San Francisco is a strategic area for the project and that hopefully the facility will really aid the farmers as well as the advancement of the agriculture sector. (Vanessa P. Sanchez / DA 13 – RAFIS)