IT HOLDS no imminent danger of becoming a white elephant. And not just because its color is yellow and green.
This is how Department of Agriculture-High Value Commercial Crops (DA-HVCC) regional coordinator Melani A. Provido described the mobile packing house for vegetables.
The mobile packing house, which is a reconditioned hauling truck, equipped with, among others, two units of 200 liter-capacity plastic drum with faucet and hose and sidings with tarpaulin cover and swing type bottom
cord support, holds many advantages over the traditional stationary building.
"For one, as its name implies, it is mobile, hence it can go right into the vegetable farms to collect the aggregate produce of the farmers in a certain production area," Provido said.
Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, one of the recipients of the six units packing house distributed throughout the Davao Region, has plenty of good things to say about the vehicle cum packing house.
"It is very useful in linking the vegetable farmers to the bagsakan centers in the municipality," said municipal agricultural officer Eugenio Tumuran Jr., adding that they use the vehicle in picking up the different farmers'
produce and deliver these to the different bagsakan centers in the municipality.
"We also use this truck in delivering vegetables and other farm products to Bankerohan market in Davao City, and on our way home we take with us various prime commodities such as fish, sugar, and canned goods,
among others and deliver these to the bagsakan centers to be sold to the consumers in the community," Tumuran added.
Another beneficiary, Ray Acain, president of the Davao del Norte Vegetable Industry Council in Tagum City, also lauded the benefits of the mobile packing house.
"Because it comes with 100 pieces of sturdy vegetable crates, post harvest losses due to crushing and overcrowding have been minimized," he said.
"Moreover, its two units 200 liter-capacity plastic drum with faucet and hose, facilitates washing of newly harvested farm produce right in the area, while its movable tarpaulin sidings can be opened or spread sideways
to provide shelter from rain or the harsh sunlight protecting the farmers during washing or packing," he added.
"The truck is so versatile that it can also be used as a market stall. You can take a fully loaded mobile packing house into an urban market, open one or both sides of the truck to display the farm produce and right
there you can commence selling the products," Provido said.
The mobile packing house project is funded by the vegetable enhancement program of the HVCC.