Marcos inaugurates P61.7-M rice processing system in Pampanga
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores)
President Marcos has led the inauguration of a rice processing system in Pampanga which is expected to lower farmers' production cost by at least P2 per kilo of rice.
Marcos led the inauguration of the P61.7-million Rice Processing System (RPS) II Project in Pampanga on Friday, Sept. 19.
By lowering production cost, the RPS II is also expected to bring down farmers' losses by as much as five percent.
The RPS II has a multi-stage rice mill that can process two to three tons of rice per hour. It features a pre-cleaner, de-stoner, huller, mist polisher, length grader, color sorter, blending tank, automatic packing machine for milled rice, rice hull bin, dust collection system, and an air-conditioned control room.
It also comes with two recirculating dryers with a 12-ton per batch drying capacity each. It is made of stainless steel and equipped with two heating systems, a generator set, tools, and other accessories.
The project is implemented under the Rice Competitiveness and Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).
According toPhilMech’s Science Research Specialist II Roland Ruiz, the RPS II will significantly increase the province’s milling recovery rate up to 65 percent, compared to the usual national average of 56 to 58 percent.
"Ang proseso dati ng magsasaka ay umaabot sa isang linggo. Dito naman ay oras na lang ang binibilang, makukuha na agad yung palay sa lupang tinaniman (Before, the process for farmers took up to a week. Here, it only takes a matter of hours before they can immediately harvest the rice),” Ruiz said.
To date, there are 145 RPS facilities completed under the Marcos administration. Five of them are located in Pampanga, particularly in the municipalities of Guagua, Candaba, Magalang, and Santa Ana.
Pampanga is one of the country’s top rice producers, with a total farmland area of 59,903 hectares.
The facility will be managed by local farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs).
Aside from RPS II, the President also turned over five rice combine harvesters, benefitting the municipalities of Mexico, Floridablanca, and Magalang in Pampanga.