Gov’t to step up acquisition of dryers for post-harvest

MANILA, Philippines - In a bid to reduce post-harvest grains losses suffered by farmers in rice and corn production, the government will step up its acquisition of dryers and other post-harvest facilities. A Malacañang statement Thursday night said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo noted that billions in pesos are lost as some 15 percent of the country's palay harvest is wasted due to post-harvest losses. She said these losses happen during harvesting, piling, threshing, drying, storage and milling, and that the biggest loss of 8-10 percent occurs during the drying process. "Sun drying is not an efficient option for drying palay and corn given that the Philippines is a humid tropical country," she said. Mrs Arroyo said she has instructed Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to provide flatbed dryers to 40 irrigators' associations in Surigao del Norte that would benefit a farming area of some 3,000 hectares. She said she instructed Yap to give five flatbed dryers to the ayawan-Gigaguit-Placer communal irrigation system and five dryers for the rest. Under the agricultural modernization program, the National Development Company (NDC) has already allotted P2 billion to provide farmers with dryers and other post-harvest facilities. The allocation includes the P1 billion worth of new dryers for the National Food Authority (NFA), and 1,000 flatbed dryers for the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Post-harvest Research and Extension (BPRE). Mrs Arroyo said the National Agribusiness Corporation (NAC) would also establish integrated corn drying centrals initially in Kabacan, North Cotabato; Sergio Osmeña, Zamboanga del Norte; Malungon, Sarangani; and Banga, South Cotabato. The provision of post-harvest facilities is one of the pillars of Mrs Arroyo's agricultural modernization program to ensure abundant and affordable food supply in the country. - GMANews.TV