The National Food Authority (NFA) has opened a P355.4-million integrated grains facility in Iloilo, more than doubling the province’s capacity to buy and process unhusked rice to strengthen national food security.

In a statement, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Wednesday that the new facility in Dumangas features a modern warehouse, a rice mill capable of processing 10 metric tons per hour, and a mechanical grain dryer with a daily capacity of 240 metric tons.

The equipment will allow the agency to buy, dry, mill and store more palay, or unhusked rice, while reducing post-harvest waste.

“This is an investment in food security as much as it is an investment in our farmers,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. “Every bag we save and every bag we procure strengthens the country’s ability to keep rice affordable and available, especially during supply disruptions.”