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To help corn farmers attain premium quality of their produce, the Department of Agriculture Caraga turned-over another Village Type Corn Postharvest Processing Center to the farmers through the local government unit of Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte last June 1, 2016.

The second unit established in the said town and third in the region, the Village Type Corn Postharvest Processing Center situated in Brgy. Pinana-an, is a modern drying and shelling facility worth P3.5 million pesos and has a capacity of processing 10 tons of corn.

The facility will process either freshly harvested corn in cob or shelled kernels that need further drying just for a very minimal fee.

DA Caraga Regional Director Edna Mabeza said that modern drying facility helps to eliminate poor quality of corn that may pose health hazard to human and animal due to aflatoxin.

“There are reports based on laboratory test results that some areas are having high aflatoxin level of corn produce which is caused by delayed drying after harvesting,” she said.

According to corn quality parameter, aflatoxin level of corn for feed purposes must not exceed the tolerable limit of 50 parts per billion (pbb) and for human consumption of not more than 20 pbb.

Las Nieves Mayor Avelina Rosales extended her gratitude to DA Caraga for supporting their corn farmers and vowed to implement measures to ensure sustainability of the project.

“I am urging the farmers to help maintain the facility because it is a multi-million peso project from the government and be cooperative on the policy that we are going to implement to make this project sustainable,” she said.

Aside from corn, the facility is also designed to dry palay thus making it more advantageous for the farmers.

The first two Village Type Corn Postharvest Processing Center funded by the DA is located at Brgy. Tiniwisan, Butuan City and Brgy. Malicato of Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte.

More of this kind is on the pipeline for completion in various parts of the region as implemented under AgriPinoy Corn Program. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)