THE National Food Authority (NFA) said on Friday that the construction of its climate-resilient warehouse in Leyte will start this month.
The agency said once the warehouse is complete, it will ensure better rice supply in the province.
Located in Ormoc City, the warehouse will be designed to be able to withstand 350 kilometers per hour (kph) winds and 8.0 intensity earthquakes. It can resist winds even stronger than that of Typhoon Yolanda, which had maximum sustained winds reaching 315 kph. It is expected to be operational by March next year.
NFA Administration Renan Dalisay said the warehouse will secure food supply in Leyte, which is frequently threatened by natural calamities.
“This warehouse is important to ensure food security and availability in Ormoc and the rest of Leyte. Due to Leyte’s central location and vulnerability to natural calamities, it is important that there be adequate prepositioned supplies to boost existing rice production, especially during emergencies,” Dalisay said in a statement.
“The abnormal change in climate is our new normal. We have to make sure that our warehouses, which store our rice stock, can withstand any disaster, to make sure that the food security requirement is intact,” he added.
The warehouse in barangay San Pablo, Ormoc City—80 km away from the NFA Provincial Office in Palo, Leyte. It has a capacity of 100,000 bags of rice, and will augment the existing 30,000-bag capacity warehouse in the area.
According to the NFA, the additional warehouse can store and supply the food security requirements of Ormoc and eight other towns in the province, namely, Albuera, Merida, Isabel, Palompon, Matagob, Villaba, Tabango, San Isidro, Capoocan, and Kananga.
It will also serve as a terminal warehouse for shipments of grains coming in via air and sea. Ormoc is location to Leyte’s major ports and airport, the NFA said.