Govt to set up 28 rice processing centers this year

The government will establish 28 rice processing centers (RPC) this year to lessen the dependence of small farmers to rice millers and bring down post-harvest losses. Dubbed as RPC 1-2-3, the project aims to establish small, medium and large milling facilities in farm clusters devoted to palay cultivation, according to Rex Bingabing, executive director of Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) of the Department of Agriculture. He said the centers would be established “so that farmers would not have to transport the produce over long distances for milling.” Funds of P431 million will be sourced from the National Rice Program. Agriculture regional offices will implement the project at the field while PhilMech will provide technical assistance and training for farmer organizations that will operate, manage and maintain the rice centers. “The project aims to establish rice milling centers of which the size will be determined by DA regional offices and PhilMech field personnel,” Bingabing said. Small scale rice centers (RPC-1) will cost P6 million each; medium-sized rice centers (RPC-2) will cost P15 million each; and rice centers (RPC-3) will cost P31 million each. The DA will establish 13 RPC-1 units costing P78 million; seven RPC-2 units costing P105 million; and eight RPC-3 units costing P248 million, for a total cost of P431 million. In 2012, the DA established three RPC-2 units. Distribution Based on the field surveys of PhilMech, the 13 RPC-1 units will be distributed as follows: one for Region 4A (Calabarzon); two for Region 4B (Mimaropa); four for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas); two for Region 10 (Northern Mindanao); two Region 13 (Caraga); and two for Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. For the RPC-2, the distribution will be one for Region 4A;t hree for Region 5 (Bicol); one for Region 10 (Northern Mindanao); and two for Region 13 (Caraga). For the RPC-3, the distribution is as follows: one for Region 1 (Ilocos Region); two for Region 3 (Central Luzon); two for Region 6 (Western Visayas); and one for Region 12 (SOCCKSARGEN). Locations for the other two are still undidentified. The government will shoulder 85 percent of the cost of an RPC, and the recipients will shoulder the remaining 15 percent. Only qualified farmer associations or irrigation associations can qualify to become recipients of the RPC and other farm machinery distributed by the government.  — KBK, GMA News