A government-funded P69.49-million rice processing facility was turned over to a local agricultural cooperative to boost post-harvest efficiency and cut production losses for hundreds of farmers in Misamis Oriental province.

The Rice Processing System 2 facility was inaugurated under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Mechanization Program, a component of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization.

The state-of-the-art facility was turned over to the First Community Cooperative of Gingoog City, which comprises 695 rice farmers cultivating more than 2,547 hectares across Gingoog City and the neighboring towns of Balingasag and Magsaysay.

The processing hub includes a modern, multistage rice mill capable of processing 2 to 3 metric tons of rice per hour. It is also equipped with four recirculating dryers — two with a 12-ton capacity and two with a 6-ton capacity per hour.