BUTUAN CITY – President Arroyo is scheduled to inaugurate Tuesday the P68-million Corn Post Harvest Processing and Trading Center (CPHPTC) in Barangay Mabuhay, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

Top provincial and city officials of the province led by Agusan del Sur Gov. Maria Valentina Plaza and her elder brother Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza and Bayugan City Mayor Magdalena Asis will assist the Chief Executive during the opening of the CPHPTC.

The opening of CPHPTC signals the start of a joint business venture between the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) and the provincial government of Agusan del Sur.

The plant would also serve as a center for buying corn on cobs, corn processing, selling of corn grains, and production of food grade corn grain in the Caraga Region.

The start of the operation of CPHPTC will also ensure a market of farmers’ produce at competitive prices, provide mechanism that reduces the corn drying and processing cost by at least 50 percent, ensure continuous supply of premium quality corn grains at 14 percent moisture content and decrease post harvest losses from 15 to 5 percent of production.

The CPHPTC facility could also process 1,375 metric tons of grain at 14 percent moisture content per month because of its capability to dry corn on cob and grains even during rainy season.

The local government unit (LGU) will also construct the same structure in the towns of Trento and San Francisco, both of Agusan del Sur.

Meanwhile, to address the transport problem, trucks will be provided free for farms within a 15-kilometer radius from the center.

“This CPHPTC will ensure continuous supply of guaranteed premium quality corn in our province,” said the governor.

The provincial chief executive also sees the growing production of farmers especially those in far-flung areas.

As this developed, Plaza mobilized all technical men and personnel of the Provincial Agriculture Office to assist the immediate needs of the farmers.

Agusan del Sur is acknowledged as the “food basket” in Northeastern Mindanao.