DA distributes 146 rice mills under RCEF

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has distributed over 140 rice mills to farmer cooperatives and associations (FCAs) under the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF) aimed at improving their milling recovery rate, reducing wastage and boosting their income.

The DA said its attached agency, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), distributed 146 rice mills to eligible FCAs nationwide since 2019 when the RCEF began and created by the rice tariffication law.

Under the RCEF, the PhilMech gets an annual funding of P5 billion to procure and distribute various farm machinery, including rice mills, to modernize local rice production and improve farmers’ income.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said increasing machinery use and improving post harvest facilities would help in achieving government’s goal of increasing food production, ensuring food security and reducing rice importation.

“By deploying better post harvest facilities like dryers, silos, and rice mills, we can significantly reduce wastage that would help achieve our trifecta goals of increasing farmers’ incomes, providing consumers with more affordable food choices and preserving foreign exchange by reducing food imports,” Tiu Laurel said.

Some of the rice mills distributed by the government could boost farmers’ income by as much as 30 percent as it improves milling recovery rate by seven percentage points like the one recently given to an FCA in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, according to the DA.

The P56.5 million rice mill given to Piddig Basin Multipurpose Cooperative would benefit nearly 1,100 rice farmers who manage around 1,400 hectares of rice lands, the DA added. The cooperative also received two recirculating dryers with a 12-metric ton capacity worth P8.1 million as well as other farm equipment worth P6.4 million.

PhilMech said the rice mill can process as much as three metric tons of palay per hour, producing 930 50-kilogram sacks of rice during an eight-hour run. The mills would have a milling recovery rate of 65 percent, which is higher than the national average of 58 percent, according to PhilMech.

“This means that for every 100 sacks of palay processed, the PhilMech rice mill will yield 65 bags of rice or seven sacks more compared to the national average,” the DA said.