Sto. Niño MPC Chairperson Marilyn Aranas accepts the ceremonial key of responsibility from PhilMech Director III Joel Dator (4th from left) and DA Caraga Regional Executive Director Arlan M. Mangelen (2nd from right).

To help Caraga’s rice farmers be more competitive and boost rice production in the region, the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) turned – over on Thursday, February 27, the Rice Processing System II to the Sto. Niño Multi-Purpose Cooperative. 

The construction of the Rice Processing System (RPS) is under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund’s (RCEF) Mechanization Program. The RPS are distributed to qualified Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs). It consists of machinery used for drying and milling rice. 

RPS has three packages, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. The FCAs may avail whichever best fits their capacity. 

An RPS II was turned over to the Sto. Niño Multi-Purpose Cooperative. The RPS II includes a multi-stage rice mill with a capacity of 2-3 tons per hour, and features a pre-cleaner, de-stoner, huller, mist polisher, length grader, color sorter, blending tank, automatic packing machine for milled rice, rice hull bin, dust collection system and air-conditioned control room. It also has two recirculating dryers, each with a 12-ton per batch drying capacity, made of stainless steel and equipped with two heating systems, a generator set, tools, and other accessories. In total, the RPS II amounts to P61,789,065.00.  

With the aid of the machinery used for drying and milling rice in the RPS, rice farmers are expected to have higher yields and increased income as well as be able to compete with the neighboring countries. 

DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Arlan M. Mangelen said the DA programs and projects such as the RPS aim to aid farmers with their farming needs and to make farming more efficient wherein one way is through farm mechanization. He said that mechanization eases farm labor, lessens production cost, and improves product quality. “The goal is to have sufficient production and attain food sufficiency, making food available for everybody,” Dir. Mangelen said. 

On the other hand, PhilMech Director III Joel Dator said that the machines in the RPS are of very good quality and with proper management, will sure last a long time. The multi-stage rice mill, he said, is modern and state of the art. “To ensure proper usage, PhilMech will train the operators and will also conduct monitoring on the operation of the facility so that the cooperative can maximize the usage and benefits of the machines,” he added. 

The turn-over and inauguration of the RPS II was conducted in Brgy. Sto. Niño in Butuan City. Sto. Niño is one of the rice-producing barangays of Butuan City. Meanwhile, the Sto. Niño  

MPC manages a total of 511.5 hectares of rice areas and is composed of 356 members who will be benefitting from the RPS II project. 

Sto. Niño MPC Manager Antonio Cabrera said that at present, with their existing Rice Processing Center, the coop has an average production volume of 15,000 bags per cropping with two cropping seasons annually. With the new RPS II, Cabrera said they are targeting to increase their production volume up to 20,000 – 25,000 bags per cropping.   

The RPS II of the Sto. Niño MPC is the first in Caraga. The provision of the RPS is aimed at providing farmers additional income from the processing and marketing of quality rice and reducing postharvest losses. (vpsanchez/DA13-RAFIS)