Korean-funded rice processing centers to benefit 5,000 farmers

MANILA, Philippines — More than 5,000 farmers in four provinces are expected to benefit from four rice processing complex projects (RPC) funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Department of Agriculture said Saturday. Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo Puyat said KOICA provided a 649-million-peso grant for the construction of the projects, and the Philippine government provided a counterpart fund of P136 million. Of the amount from the government, P104 million will come from the DA, while local government units (LGUs) are to pitch in P32 million. First undertaken in Aurora, the RPC has been criticized by farmers as benefiting only the big landowners and the Angara family, which is the dominant political force in the province. “The DA’s contribution to the project will take care of the inland transportation, taxes and project management, while the fund from LGUs will be used for site development," Puyat said in a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap. She informed Yap that the construction of the modern RPCs in Pangasinan, Iloilo, Bohol and Davao del Sur will help create jobs in these provinces and increase incomes for the 5,160 farmer-beneficiaries combined by reducing their postproduction losses, enhancing the quality of their milled rice and improving distribution. The RPCs, to be built over the next two years, will be constructed in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan, Pototan, Iloilo, Pilar, Bohol and Matanao, Davao del Sur. Puyat said the Philippines and South Korea recently formalized their commitment to build the four RPCs. A team of KOICA inspectors visited the country recently to assess the budgetary requirements and mode of implementation of the project. Puyat said the establishment of the four RPCs follows the successful implementation of the first RPC in Baler, Aurora in 2007, which was built through a $2.3 million KOICA grant. The second phase of the construction of RPCs, Puyat said, will benefit 40 palay-growing provinces. “The construction of the RPCs was encouraged by Korea to promote efficient postharvest operations for our palay farmers through mechanization and automation," she added. “The establishment of these centers was inspired by the success of Korea ’s Agricultural Machinery Rental System (AMRS) that aims to provide custom services to its farmers." She pointed out that in South Korea, the construction of 328 RPCs and 568 drying and storage complexes reduced working hours by 64 percent and operating costs by 34 percent while cutting postproduction losses from six percent to one percent. Puyat said a recent evaluation of the Baler RPC project conducted by KOICA showed that modern rice processing facilities helped stabilize the supply and price of the staple. - qwGMANews.TV