President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led on Friday the inauguration of the PhP61.7 million Rice Processing System (RPS) II Project and the turnover of agricultural machinery to the provincial government of Pampanga, aiming to boost the province’s agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of over 36,000 rice farmers.
The RPS II is expected to enhance the province’s rice processing efficiency and lower farmers’ production cost by at least PhP2 per kilo and losses by as much as five percent.
The project is implemented under the Rice Competitiveness and Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).
Pampanga is one of the country’s top rice producers, with a total farmland area of 59,903 hectares.
The RPS II consists of a multi-stage rice mill that can process two to three tons of rice per hour. It 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 an air-conditioned control room.
The system also comes with two recirculating dryers with a 12-ton per batch drying capacity each. It is made of stainless steel and equipped with two heating systems, a generator set, tools, and other accessories.
Aside from RPS II, President Marcos turned over five rice combine harvesters. Beneficiaries include the municipalities of Mexico, Floridablanca, and Magalang in Pampanga.
In a Presidential News Desk interview, PhilMech’s Science Research Specialist II, Roland Ruiz, said the RPS II will significantly increase the province’s milling recovery rate up to 65 percent, compared to the usual national average of 56 to 58 percent.
“Ang proseso dati ng magsasaka ay umaabot sa isang linggo. Dito naman ay oras na lang ang binibilang, makukuha na agad ‘yung palay sa lupang tinaniman,” Ruiz said.
To date, there are 145 RPS facilities completed under the Marcos administration. Five of them are located in Pampanga, particularly in the municipalities of Guagua, Candaba, Magalang, and Santa Ana.
The facility will be managed by local farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs). (PND)
