South Cotabato farmers save P88M with new rice processing complex

South Cotabato farmers have generated P88 million in savings with the new rice processing complex that began operating at the start of the year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement Friday.

 

DA-12 Regional Executive Director Amalia Datukan said the government invested P32 million for the facility for the use of farmers in South Cotabato.

 

The facility houses a two biomass-fed mechanical dryers capable of drying 600 sacks of palay in eight hours, a modern rice mill, and a storage facility.

 

Since January, the processing center has milled 36,000 metric tons of palay from 5,000 farmers cultivating some 10,000 hectares of rice land in South Cotabato and neighboring provinces in the Soccsksargen region.

 

Milling recovery improved to at least 65 percent from 58 percent and farmers saved around 2,500 metric tons of rice equivalent to about P88 million in savings.

 

“Wala pa pong isang taong operasyon ng  RPC sa South Cotabato ay tubong tubo na ang investment ng pamahalaan pagdating sa pakinabang ng mga magsasaka. P88 milyon agad ang value ng naisalba nating bigas na natapon lang sana kasama ng ipa,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

 

Apart from the benefit of having higher recovery of rice, farmer and owner of palay buy-and-sell station Liwayway Andigan  said the facility also improved the quality of their harvests.

 

“More than the higher recovery, RPC improved the quality of milled rice to well-milled that commands a higher commercial price with clearer white, less spots and bigger head rice,” Ursal said. — Danessa O. Rivera/JDS, GMA News