About 300 participants from different farmer organizations, millers, processors, local government units (LGUs), research and development (R&D) and financing institutions, state universities and colleges and other agencies with current efforts on biomass utilization participated in the 5th National Grains Postproduction Conference held last July 18-19, 2007 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City.
Agriculture Secretary and PRPC Chair Arthur C. Yap graced the event with focus on biomass utilization for profitability and environmental sustainability. The event was organized by the Philippine Rice Postproduction Consortium (PRPC) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture's rice program.
Secretary Yap said that the government will take the necessary actions to bring down the losses incurred by the farmers from 15 percent to seven percent. In a BPRE study on postharvest losses in rice, which include harvesting to milling, it was reduced from 24% in 1974 to 15% in recent years. This is because of the adoption of appropriate postharvest technologies and practices by farmers, millers and other industry stakeholders.
Experts from different government agencies, financing institutions and professional organizations like the Department of Energy (DOE), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers (PSAE) discussed issues like the status of biomass energy in the Philippines, grains postharvest infrastructure program, the biomass utilization for power and non-power applications, financing decentralized energy systems-the PNOC experience, and financing and enterprise development-the DBP experience.
The PRPC is an alliance of primary research, development and extension institutions that jointly seek to provide solutions for the sustainable development of the grain postharvest industry in the country. Its member agencies include the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE), National Food Authority (NFA), National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
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