Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization
CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

NEWS STORIES

Pangasinan modern rice facility is now operational
by Vladimir B. Caliguiran (September 8, 2011)
The Rice Processing Complex (RPC) in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan is now ready to buy palay from farmers at more competitive price after its inauguration last Monday.
"With this facility, drying and milling operations will be easier and faster," said Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala to Pangasinense farmers during the opening of the plant. Also, Sec. Alcala encourages the farmers to plant more palay and to choose 'long grain' varieties to adapt the modern facilties.

Freshly threshed palay of farmers can be directly sold to the RPC. According to Sec. Alcala, grain deterioration such as germination and discoloration can now be avoided. The rice facility can dry and mill 50,000 kilograms of wet paddy in a day.

The RPC is a project of the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) with the assistance of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan. It houses five mechanical dryers, warehouse, and multi-pass rice milling facilities for brown rice and well-milled rice.

KOICA Philippine Resident Representative Mr. Kim Jinoh said that the RPC aims to produce high-quality rice and reduce postharvest losses, "We believe that our RPC project will help to achieve the vision of the Philippine development plan 2011-2016 for competitive, sustainable, and technology-based agriculture sector that contributes to inclusive growth and poverty reduction."

'Moreover, the RPCs are envisaged to help improve food security, increase rural incomes, and support the attainment of the country's goal of rice self-sufficiency by 2013. With the completion of RPC Pangasinan, this vision could now become a reality,"he added.

Pangasinan is the third rice producing province in the country in terms of volume of production, next to Nueva Ecija and Isabela. In 2010, Pangasinenses harvested a total of 940, 700 MT of palay (DA-BAS).

High-end markets like malls, supermarkets, and food chain companies are the target market for the 'Pangasinan Rice' as branded by Governor Amado T. Espino Jr.

The RPC Pangasinan is first of the four projects to be inaugurated. Other RPCs are being constructed in Bohol, Iloilo, and Davao del Sur.

The management and supervision of building the state-of-the-art facilities were entrusted by the DA to PHilMech.