PhilMech puts up P95 million rice processing systems

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) is putting up P95.4 million worth of rice processing systems (RPS) in Nueva Ecija and Quezon.

PhilMech said it signed memorandum of agreements (MOAs) with Muñoz Mayor Baby Armi Alvarez and the Nueva Ecija provincial local government unit (LGU) for the establishment of the RPS.

The LGU of Muñoz will be the recipient of a P61.4 million RPS equipped with two units of 12-ton recirculating dryers and a two- to three-ton per hour multi-pass rice mill.

Meanwhile, the Nueva Ecija LGU will receive an P18-million RPS equipped with two units of six-ton recirculating dryers and a 1.5-ton/hour multi-pass rice mill.

PhilMech signed another MOA with the Quezon municipal LGU for the establishment of RPS in the province.

The Quezon municipality LGU will receive an RPS worth P16 million equipped with a 12-ton recirculating dryer and a 1.5-ton/hour multi-pass rice mill.

The agency said these represent the first batch of RPS to be established by PhilMech this month.

The agency also completed two RPS worth P43 million that have been turned over to Tarlac, and to two municipalities in Bulacan for use by rice farmers.

In Bulacan, PhilMech turned over a completed RPS worth P35 million to the LGUs of Baliuag and Pulilan for use by farmers in their respective areas.

The RPS the two Bulacan LGUs received is equipped with two units of six-ton mechanical dryers and a 1.5 ton per hour multi-stage rice mill each.

PhilMech also completed the RPS for the Tarlac provincial LGU worth P8 million, which is equipped with two units of six-ton mechanical dryers and a 1.5 ton per hour.

All the RPS completed and under construction by PhilMech are funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Mechanization Program.