By Minerva Newman
CEBU CITY –The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Central Visayas conducted skills training for around 30 farmers working in compact corn mills in Cebu on the proper operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of the mills’ machines in Danao City, Cebu.
Engr. Daryl Dumayac, a technical staff of DA’s Regional Agricultural Engineering Group (RAEG), said the farmers were taught how to repair malfunctioning machines and to familiarize themselves with the parts and functions of the corn mill.
Dumayac said the farmers were made to disassemble the machine and put it back together again.
“Troubleshooting the machine will capacitate the beneficiaries to fully use the machine granted to them by DA,” Dumayac said.
Compact corn mills are one of the project interventions of DA designed by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), Dumayac said.
One machine can mill 350 kilograms of corn per hour and can function for eight hours. The machines were distributed in Cebu beginning in 2015 to address the milling problem of corn farmers especially those in mountainous areas.
It also aims to help farmers reduce postharvest losses because most of the corn mills are located in the town proper.
High transportation and milling costs are some of the reasons some farmers no longer plant corn. With a compact corn mill, the milling is done right in the farmers’ community, Engr. Roy Manzano, DA-RAED staff, said.