₱74.4-M rice facility to aid over 4k farmers in Nueva Ecija

A ₱74.4-million rice processing facility in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija is set to give some 4,060 farmers easier access to modern drying and milling equipment, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Thursday.

The DA inaugurated the Rice Processing System (RPS) III facility, funded through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program, in Nueva Ecija, the country’s top rice-producing province.

The facility was turned over to the Cabanatuan City government through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), bringing modern postharvest services closer to farmers.

Farmers cultivating around 8,976 hectares of rice land in the city are expected to benefit from the facility, which features a multi-stage rice mill capable of processing 4 to 5 tons of palay per hour.

It also has three recirculating dryers, each capable of drying 12 tons of palay per batch.

The DA said the facility will help speed up drying and milling, reduce postharvest losses, improve rice quality and potentially raise farmers’ incomes.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the success of such investments should ultimately be reflected in better lives for farming families.

“The true progress of agriculture is not measured only by the volume of rice harvested, but by the comfort and prosperity it brings to the table of every farming family,” Laurel said.

The RCEF Mechanization Program provides farm and postharvest equipment to eligible farmers’ cooperatives and associations and local government units across the country.

The amended Rice Tariffication Law extended the program until 2031 and raised its annual allocation to ₱9 billion from ₱5 billion, expanding the government’s support for agricultural mechanization and postharvest infrastructure.