The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) inaugurated a P56.5 million rice mill equipped with farming equipment in Piddig, Ilocos Norte aimed at reducing production waste and increasing farmers' livelihoods.

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA) attached agency, the state-of-the-art multi-stage rice mill is seen to aid around 1,000 farmers and increase their income by as much as 30 percent.

PhilMech director Dionisio Alvindia said the facility is part of the P71 million worth of postharvest facilities turned over to the Piddig Basi Multipurpose Cooperative, which has nearly 1,100 members managing 1,400 hectares of rice lands.

The coop was also awarded two recirculating dryers worth P8.1 million, each with a capacity of 12 tons, and other equipment worth P6.4 million.

The rice mill could process as much as three metric tons (MT) of palay per hour, producing 930 50-kilo bags of rice during an 8-hour run, according to Alvindia.

“This mill will increase the rice recovery from palay to 65 percent, higher by 7 percentage points compared to the national average of 58 percent. And that means a lot to increasing farmers’ incomes,” he said.

According to DA, this means that for every 100 sacks of palay processed, it will yield 65 bags of rice, or seven sacks more compared to the national average.

Each sack is equal to 50 kilos, it added.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., meanwhile, highlighted the importance of post-harvest facilities in improving farmers revenues.

“By deploying better post-harvest facilities like dryers, silos, and rice mills, we can significantly reduce wastage that would help achieve our trifecta goals of increasing farmers’ incomes, providing consumers with more affordable food choices, and preserving foreign exchange by reducing food imports,” he said.

A total of 374,309 MT of palay from an area of 68,010 hectares was harvested in Ilocos Norte last year—higher than the projected total rice production of 220,682 MT.

In 2023, Piddig was the third-largest rice-producing town in Ilocos Norte, following Dingras and Solsona, said the DA.