The Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over a ₱65.6-million rice processing facility to a farmers’ cooperative in Nueva Ecija, providing local rice growers access to modern milling and drying equipment aimed at reducing postharvest losses, improving grain quality, and increasing the value of their harvests.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Engr. Christopher Morales and PhilMech Director IV Dr. Dionisio Alvindia witnessed the turnover of the Rice Processing System (RPS) to the Talabutab Norte Primary Multipurpose Cooperative under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.
The investment brings integrated rice milling and drying facilities closer to farmers in Nueva Ecija, the country’s leading rice-producing province. It is expected to reduce their dependence on commercial processing facilities while improving their capacity to produce higher-quality milled rice and retain greater value from their harvests.
The facility consists of a multi-stage rice mill with a processing capacity of 2–3 tons per hour, valued at ₱54.7 million, and three recirculating-type mechanical dryers worth ₱10.88 million, with a combined drying capacity of 24 tons per batch.
The rice mill is equipped with pre-cleaning, de-stoning, hulling, polishing, grading, and color-sorting equipment, as well as an automatic milled rice packing machine. The mechanical dryers consist of one 12-ton-per-batch unit and two 6-ton-per-batch units, all made of stainless steel and equipped with heating systems and a generator set.
“This investment will give our farmers greater control over how their palay is dried, milled, and processed, reducing their dependence on outside service providers while helping preserve grain quality.”
“This investment will give our farmers greater control over how their palay is dried, milled, and processed, reducing their dependence on outside service providers while helping preserve grain quality,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said.
“More importantly, it will allow them to retain more value from their harvest and improve their earning potential,” Tiu Laurel added.
PhilMech Director IV Dionisio Alvindia emphasized the agency’s continuing commitment to supporting the beneficiaries beyond the provision of machinery and equipment.
“PhilMech will continue to support its beneficiaries through appropriate training and enterprise development activities.”
“PhilMech will continue to support its beneficiaries through appropriate training and enterprise development activities to help them maximize the use of these facilities and ensure the sustainability of their operations,” Alvindia said.
The municipality of General Mamerto Natividad and its surrounding communities are home to 11,219 farmers cultivating a combined 21,418 hectares of agricultural land. These farmers are expected to benefit from improved access to modern rice processing and drying facilities.
Implemented by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), the RCEF Mechanization Program provides farm machinery and postharvest equipment to qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) through grants-in-kind.
Program estimates indicate that mechanization technologies can reduce farmers’ production costs by ₱2 to ₱3 per kilogram, while the use of appropriate postharvest technologies can reduce losses by 3% to 5%.
The program also seeks to improve farm productivity, increase cropping intensity, promote timely farm operations, reduce labor requirements, and generate additional income through the utilization of agricultural machinery and equipment.
Under Republic Act No. 12078, which amended the Rice Tariffication Law, the RCEF Mechanization Program has been extended until 2031, with its annual allocation increased from ₱5 billion to ₱9 billion.
Other officials present in the event are PhilMech Director III Joel Dator; DA Regional Field Office III Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer Dr. Analou Morelos; National Food Authority (NFA) Region III Manager Jeoffrey Paraton and Nueva Ecija Branch Manager Maria Luisa Luluquisen.
