IQF Technology To Boost Cotabato Fruits Industry

One of the major programs I have lined up to boost the income of farmers of North Cotabato is to introduce modern post-harvest technology, including the IQF or Individual Quick Freeze which preserves the freshness of perishable fruits.
As the name suggests, the IQF individually freezes the fruits, including vegetables, without covering these with ice thus improving the marketability.
The post-harvest facilities will also include processing equipment to turn fruits like Pomelo into bottled drinks which a company owned by a friend is already doing.
Unknown to many, North Cotabato is actually the Top Tropical Fruits Producing Province of the country.
In fact, the large supply of Pomelo, which is widely known as Davao Pomelo, actually comes from my hometown, Mlang where the long daylight hours and rich soil produce the sweetest pomelo.
Marang, Mangosteen, Durian, Lanzones and Rambutan are produced by the hundreds of tons during the fruit season from August to October.
I am quite familiar with the Fruit Industry of North Cotabato because I am also a fruit farmer in Kidapawan which calls itself the “City of Fruits and Highland Springs.”
As early as the days when I first served as Governor of North Cotabato from 1998 to 2007 and up to the time when I served as Secretary of Agriculture and Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority, I initiated the Cotabato and Mindanao Fruit Festivals in Metro Manila and Luzon.
This time around, we will use modern processing technology to boost our Fruit Industry which I hope would encourage more farmers to plant fruit trees.
This program will not only boost th e income of our farmers and improve the economy of North Cotabato but also promote the planting of fruit trees as part of our Re-Greening Program.
#ThinkingOutOfTheBox!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
(Photos of the IQF equipment were downloaded from public websites.)