To minimize postharvest losses and allow farmers to take home bigger profit, the Department of Agriculture has awarded to the members of the Guimaras Seed Growers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GSGMPC) a Rice Processing Center I (RPC).

The center, established at Barangay Cabano in San Lorenzo, is part of the drive of the national government to empower and capacitate small farmers and make them more competitive.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, who led the awarding of the facility to farmer-beneficiaries, noted that about 16% of the total produced rice is lost after harvest.

“That means, for every 100 sacks of your harvest, 16 sacks are wasted,” he said.

As such the Agriculture Department is pushing for the full mechanization of Philippine agriculture.

“If you use a combine harvester, losses are minimized since the machine will cut, thresh and even put your palay in sacks for you,” he added.

The RPC I, with a total cost P5.9 million, is set to serve the 30 farmer-members of the GSGMPC, covering 70-hectares of rice land. Aside from this, farmers from the neighboring towns of San Lorenzo may also avail of its services.

The rice center is equipped with a unit of recirculating dryer with six tons holding capacity and 90% drying efficiency. It has a multi-pass rice mill with 65% milling recovery. The facility also has a complete drainage and electrical system.

While in San Lorenzo, Piñol urged coordinators and key officials of the DA regional field office to organize the local Farmers’ Service Providers (FSP) to maximize the benefits of government-awarded farm machineries and equipment.

Service Providers serve as a one-stop shop of farmers who wish to avail mechanized services for their farms. San Lorenzo has four FSPs to date. (oda rodriguez/DA-AFID)