President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday inspected the state-of-the-art multi-stage rice processing complex project in Barangay Ipil, Echague, Isabela.

The project, known as the Rice Processing System II, is expected to benefit thousands of farmers in the province.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. joined the President during the inspection.

Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III, and Echague Mayor Francis Faustino Dy were also present.

Inaugurated on Nov. 28, 2024, the project is part of the government’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program worth PhP67.48 million.

The complex includes the state-of-the-art multi-stage rice mill with 3 Tons Per Hour (TPH) capacity valued at PhP 48.58 million and five recirculating dryers, with 12-ton capacity each, worth PhP 18.9 million.

According to the DA, the RCEF was created under Republic Act 11203 to improve the competitiveness of rice farmers and increase their income amidst the liberalization of the Philippine rice trade policy.

It added that it established the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP) to complement and supplement the existing DA-National Rice Program (DA-NRP).

The RCEP Mechanization Program aims to reduce production costs by P2-3/kg, decrease post-harvest losses by 3-5 percent, and enhance value addition by 30 percent.

The program’s beneficiary is Isabela’s provincial government, which maintains 70,556 registered farmers in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), cultivating 66,303 hectares of rice land.

The program will directly benefit the farmers by improving rice processing and post-harvest operations. | PND