LIKE other developing countries, the Philippines (PH) loses nearly 50 percent of its total harvest of perishables every year due to a variety of reasons, mainly related to the lack of an efficient market linkage system, logistical difficulties and commercial unviability in constructing integrated cold-chain facilities in the rural and remote islands of the archipelago that can store, preserve and transport perishable goods such as fresh fruit, vegetables and fish.

Energy expenses account for more than 30 percent of total expenses in cold storage in the Philippines. Lack of reliable electricity supply in the off-grid rural areas further exacerbates the farm-to-plate post-harvest losses. This severely impacts the income of a large majority of smallholder Filipino farmers and fisherfolk, who barely manage to eke out a living for all their toil and effort.