Nueva Ecija eyes more rice silos

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija — The provincial government here is seeking to construct more rice silos in the province which is expected to be beneficial to farmers.

Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelia Umali stressed that since rice farming is the primary source of livelihood in Nueva Ecija, farmers here can continue to plant rice without the threat of having spoilage from the last harvest.

The Rice Granary of the Philippines is very much in need of storage for harvested rice, which would help in lowering the prices of rice during seasons when rice is scarce, especially during detrimental weather conditions for planting rice.

Umali added that the rice silos can store rice during times when there is surplus in the harvests, preventing farmers from selling their rice for dirt-cheap prices to prevent spoilage.

The provincial government of Nueva Ecija is the only local government in the country that has a rice mill and rice complex with four rice silos.

With these infrastructures, it is possible for the province to have a steady supply of rice that the Provincial Government buys thru the Provincial Food Council that is used as food assistance to Novo Ecijanos.