Posted on by rcefpmo-extension

AGREEMENT. PHilMech Director IV Dionisio G. Alvindia (center) and Mayor Myca Elizabeth R. Vergara of Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija (right) sign a memorandum of agreement on Monday (July 3, 2023) for the establishment of rice processing systems (RPS) facility in the city that could help reduce postharvest losses in the rice sector. Also in photo is Interim Director of PHilMech for Operations Joel V. Dator (left) who served as a witness. (Photo courtesy of DA-PhilMech)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A PHP72-million rice processing system facility will be put up in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija that can help farmers reduce post-harvest losses.

The project is under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) and the local government unit (LGU) of Cabanatuan City signed a memorandum of agreement on Monday for the putting up of the rice processing system (RPS) III facility that will comprise three units of 12-ton capacity recirculating dryers and one unit of 4-5-ton/hour capacity multi-pass rice mill.

Under the agreement, the LGU will provide a warehouse as a counterpart for the provision of a free RPS III facility.

PHilMech Director IV Dionisio G. Alvindia said aside from reducing postharvest losses, the RPS aims to improve the quality of milled rice and make it available and accessible to farmers for rice processing services.

“This is the next level intervention of the RCEF Mechanization Program because this will help address the lack of accessible drying and milling facilities for the small farmers,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mayor Myca Elizabeth R. Vergara, for her part, thanked PhilMech for choosing Cabanatuan as one of the LGU recipients of the facility.

“It will be a big help to our farmers. With those facilities, our farmers will no longer be forced to sell undried palay, thus will provide them with better income,” Vergara said. (Zorayda Tecson, PNA)