ZAMBOANGA CITY—Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap led the inauguration of a P33-million Zamboanga del Norte corn postharvest processing and trading center, which is expected to raise production of the grain in the province by as much as 10 percent and farmers’ incomes by as high as 50 percent.

The facility, realized through the initiative of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and the local government units of Zamboanga del Norte, aims to ensure a steady supply of corn even during the wet season, generate more jobs and provide other investment opportunities in corn production.

Yap said the facility would help produce premium-quality corn grains at 14 percent moisture content, and reduce corn-drying and processing costs by at least 50 percent.

It will also help decrease post-harvest losses from 15 percent to 5 percent of production and raise incomes for corn farmers by 50 percent, he added.

“The project has a return-of-investment rate of 12.5 percent for its investors,” Yap said.

“We expect the Nabcor to pursue its project of establishing similar postharvest centers in other corn-producing areas of the country as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the sufficiency of this grain staple for Filipinos,” he added

He pointed out that the construction of the postharvest facility is part of the infrastructure buildup ordered by President Arroyo in the face of the rebounding economy.

President Arroyo announced earlier this week that her administration will carry on this massive infrastructure program this year to serve as a “springboard” for higher growth and a “firewall” against the looming economic slowdown in the United States.

Nabcor has provided the bulk of the funding for the construction of the center at P23 million, with a P2-million counterpart from the provincial government and P3 million by the municipal government of Sergio Osmeña town, where the plant is located.

Zamboanga Del Norte 1st District Rep. Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon contributed P5 million from her Priority Development Assistance Fund to complete the funding for the project that was inaugurated on Friday.

DA Regional Director Oscar Parawan said the corn postharvest processing and trading center will serve as a commercial hub for corn growers and buyers in the said province.

Parawan said that during Yap’s two-day visit to Zamboanga del Norte, the DA secretary also went to Dapitan City and turned over P250,000 worth of encircling gillnets to the Sicayab Fishermen Association.

An initiative of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the gillnet project aims to improve the fish-farming system and raise incomes of small fisherfolk in Zamboanga del Norte.

Yap also led the dispersal of 10,000 kilograms of seaweed seedlings worth P130,000 that will benefit the seaweed farmers in the barangays of Canlucani, Taguilon, Talisay, Tag-ulo and Sto. Niño in Dapitan City, according to Parawan.

The DA had earlier distributed a total of 40 bags of open pollinated varieties of corn and vegetable seeds and 30 bags of hybrid corn as part of President Arroyo’s Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program.

THE government has secured a $300-million Asian Development Bank loan that will help local government units (LGUs) pursue financing and budget reforms, President Arroyo announced Wednesday.

CEBU CITY—Cebu furniture exporters are pinning their hopes on new markets, particularly in the Middle East and in Russia, to cushion the effects of a reported US recession and the strengthening peso.

FEED millers are asking the Department of Agriculture (DA) to consider the suspension of tariffs levied on alternative raw materials used for making animal feeds to help them cope with the increasing cost of corn both in the local and international market.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap led the inauguration of a P33-million Zamboanga del Norte corn postharvest processing and trading center, which is expected to raise production of the grain in the province by as much as 10 percent and farmers’ incomes by as high as 50 percent.

INDEPENDENT think tank Ibon Foundation said there is a possibility that the government will resort to more taxes this year to address the fiscal crisis and ensure that it can continue its debt-servicing efforts.

THE national government is still liable for the loan obligations of the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) for existing loans secured prior to Transco’s privatization.

It’s Valentine’s Day and as such, men would try to impress women by taking them out on dates to upscale restaurants where great food, ambience and service are expected.