The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) is more than ready to widen its support for organic rice farming efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
PhilMech Executive Director Ricardo L. Cachuela said that efforts to support organic rice farming have been in place since his agency was still the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE). PhilMech superseded BPRE on November 2009 with an added mandate to develop and promote agriculture mechanization in the Philippines.
“With consumers becoming more health conscious, DA-PhilMech has been developing systems to support organic rice farming efforts. One of our very successful projects of support that we can boast of are the organic rice farming efforts of the Pecuaria Development Cooperative Incorporated (PDCI) and the Cordillera Heirloom Rice Project,” Cachuela said.
PDCI’s story also proves that Agrarian Reform Communities can greatly benefit from postharvest technologies. It was in 1988 that 817.33 hectares of lands known as “Pecuaria” in Lanipaga, Bula in Camarines Sur province was placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). PDCI was later registered with the Cooperative Development Authority in September 30, 1991.
About 130 hectares of PDCI’s lands are planted to organic rice, and whole year supply is assured because of the utilization of a flatbed dryer which the PhilMech (then the BPRE) provided to the cooperative in 2008. The flatbed dryer reduced postharvest losses from 20% to less than 5% and made sure that the cooperative could store enough inventory even during the months when most rice farmers are not planting.
“Even during the rainy season, we have available products. We are now on-time in our deliveries,” said PDCI general manager Miller Bicaldo.
At the Cordillera region, DA-PhilMech assisted organic rice farmers under the Revitalized Indigenous Cordilleran Enterprise Inc. (RICE) in the postharvest aspect of organic rice planted over 10 hectares in terraces in the provinces of Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province.
Aside from teaching organic rice farmers in how to properly handle and process grains after harvesting, DA-PhilMech also introduced the Open Storage Technology (OST), which kept the milled grains in good condition when stored. The OST served as temporary storage while the heirloom rice from Cordillera is on transit to the export market.
With the OST technology, the grains are placed in a tightly sealed package and carbon dioxide is pumped into it to keep pests away or starved of oxygen.
With DA-PhilMech’s help, rice farmers under RICE are able to meet the quality standard for organic rice and export their products to the United States and Europe.
Cachuela said the experience of PDCI and RICE shows postharvest and storage technologies that can be made available through DA-PhilMech can help boost organic rice production in the country.
“Filipino expertise is readily available to boost organic rice production in the Philippines, and to support the DA’s vision of promoting natural farming,” Cachuela said.
