The groundbreaking ceremony held on Friday signified the start of the construction of a new rice processing facility in the Province of Cotabato.
The P50 million Rice Processing Center 3, which was funded by the Department of Agriculture 12 (DA 12) under the Rice Program Fund 2023 of the agency, aims to improve the quality of palay and the rice that will be sold by the farmers, reduce postharvest losses, and improve the income of the farmers.
The rice processing center will have a warehouse, a multipass rice mill with a capacity of 3 tons, a hauling truck, a forklift, three drying pavements and a recirculating dryer, which will help facilitate and improve the production and the quality of rice that the farmers will bring to the market.
Chosen by DA 12 as the beneficiary of the project is the Budasan Farmers Irrigators Multipurpose Cooperative of Brgy. Bulakanon in the municipality of Makilala.
Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza expressed her gratitude to DA 12 for this significant project for the Cotabateños.
The governor believes that the project will help ensure the food security program in the province.
“I also thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for uplifting the lives of the farmers,” Mendoza said.
Under the Province of Cotabato’s food security program, a Rice Technical Working Group (Rice TWG) was created to pursue comprehensive and innovative mechanisms for rice farmers to attain efficient rice production.
Mendoza said the province also constructed six units of drying pavements and established farm machinery in partnership with the Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for mechanization program.
In 2022, DA ranked Cotabato Province first in Region 12, third in Mindanao, and tenth in the country in rice production.
“Nagsisikap ang pamahalaang panlalawigan na maglatag at magpaabot ng kumpletong tulong sa mga magsasaka ng lalawigan lalo na sa pag-usbong ng teknolohiya at mekanisasyon,” said Jonathan M. Tabara, head of the Committee on Agriculture and Food of the Province of Cotabato.
