As a nation with a heavy reliance on agriculture, the Philippines has long faced challenges in efficiently drying crops while preserving their quality. Farmers usually use traditional drying methods that rely on open-air drying or conventional sun drying, which is highly dependent on weather conditions that can lead to inconsistent results and worse, postharvest losses. It also requires constant monitoring and manual labor which can be time-consuming and physically demanding for farmers.

Because of this, a significant stride towards modernizing agricultural practices through mechanization has been initiated by embracing the use of state-of-the-art mechanical dryers.

These dryers are paving the way to more sustainable harvests, transforming the way crops are dried, offering numerous benefits that streamline the drying process, elevating overall crop quality, reducing postharvest losses, promoting environmental conservation and resource efficiency, and contributing to food security in the country.

However, there are constraints in adopting this technology due to the lack of awareness and knowledge on operating such equipment. Besides, it is financially out of reach for resource-limited farmers.

The government and agricultural organizations are stepping up to address these challenges by providing tangible interventions, financial support, subsidies, and training programs to farmers. One of which is the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.

Remarkable Revolution in Agricultural Mechanization with RCEF

In the latest developments, the RCEF Mechanization Program, spearheaded by the DA-PHilMech, has distributed a total of 322 units of recirculating batch dryers with a 6-ton capacity per batch, 23 units of recirculating batch dryers with an even larger capacity of 12 tons per batch, and six units of mobile grain dryers to various qualified FCAs.

These dryers are used to reduce the moisture content of the grain to a safe or desired level, providing higher milling yield and head rice recovery. Also, these provide better control over the temperature during operation and may be operated day and night or even during rainy days. Moreover, the recirculating batch dryers with both 6 and 12-ton capacities are stationary and equipped with a biomass-fed furnace or diesel/kerosene-fed burner which can also be used for custom drying or commercial scale level.

What could take days or even weeks through sun-drying can now be accomplished in a matter of hours.

For the remaining months of 2023, a total of 104 units of 6-tonner recirculating dryers and 50 units of 12-tonner recirculating dryers are scheduled for delivery and installation to the FCAs.

Notably, an additional acquisition of 114 units of 6-tonner recirculating dryers and 20 units of 12-tonner recirculating dryers are also currently in progress. Anticipation runs high as the program gathers momentum, with further deliveries of these dryers projected toward the last year of implementation.

Under this program, rice farmers and cooperatives from different rice-producing provinces of the Philippines are provided with access to modern and efficient farm machinery such as tillers, tractors, seeders, threshers, rice transplanters, harvesters, reapers, dryers, and rice mills. Through mechanization, farmers are transcending limitations, embracing sustainability, and sowing the seeds of a prosperous future.