MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) on Thursday inaugurated a rice processing facility and turned over several machineries worth a total PHP96 million that is expected to boost productivity and income of farmers in Quirino province.
“This support package to Quirino rice farmers, which features a state-of-the-art rice processing system, is part of the Department of Agriculture’s determined push to improve post-harvest systems and infrastructures across the country to reduce production losses and ensure the country’s food security,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a news release.
The rice processing facility was awarded to Diffun Saranay and Development Cooperative, which has 2,320 farmer-members who manage a total 3,502 hectares of rice fields.
According to the DA, the rice processing system has a multi-stage rice mill with a capacity of four to five tons per hour, or 48 tons per day, as well as three units of recirculating dryers with 36 tons total capacity, or 12 tons per batch.
Another two units of recirculating dryers with a capacity of 6 tons per batch were also provided to the cooperative to further increase their drying capability.
The support package to the cooperative is worth a total of PHP78.1 million.
Meanwhile, other production machineries like tractors, harvester and threshers were also awarded to the 13 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in the province. (PNA)
