Mayani to build two pre-cooling facilities in Philippines

Mayani, a local agriculture startup in the Philippines, is set to build two new pre-cooling storage facilities in Batangas and Benguet. These facilities aim to extend the shelf life of vegetables and reduce post-harvest losses. JT Solis, the CEO and co-founder of Mayani, announced that the company has secured $1 million in funding from the Temasek Trust ecosystem. The facilities are expected to start operations in the second quarter of this year. Each facility will have the capacity to store between 15 to 20 metric tons of produce. Construction is projected to take about 45 to 65 days. These pre-cooling facilities will help store freshly harvested vegetables in controlled temperatures. This process keeps the produce fresh until refrigerated vans can transport them. The Benguet facility will focus on highland vegetables like broccoli and strawberries. The Batangas facility will cater to lowland vegetables such as squash and tomatoes. The goal of these facilities is to quickly lower the temperature of vegetables after they are harvested. This will help prevent spoilage at the farm level. Solis highlighted that about one-third of the world’s harvested food is wasted annually, often due to inadequate cold storage. The new facilities are expected to provide extra income for farmers by reducing losses. Mayani currently operates two pre-cooling storage facilities in Mandaluyong, which can hold a total of 50 metric tons.