NFA opens post-harvest facility in Dumangas, Iloilo

The National Food Authority (NFA) inaugurated on Wednesday a P355.4 million post-harvest facility in Barangay Monfort South in Dumangas, Iloilo to boost the country's rice buffer stock in one of its key farming regions.

This all-in-one grains facility boasts a modern warehouse equipped with a 10-ton-per-hour rice mill and a 240-ton-per-day mechanical grain dryer, beefing up the NFA's overall capacity to purchase, dry, process, and store palay (unhusked rice).

“This is an investment in food security as much as it is an investment in our farmers,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., who also chairs the NFA Council, in a statement.

“Modern post-harvest facilities allow the NFA to procure more palay, cut post-harvest losses, improve grain quality, and build stronger buffer stocks,” he also 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.”

The facility is expected to benefit over 1,000 more farmers on top of the 804 rice farmers and 41 farmers’ organizations once it is operational. It is also expected to support rice-producing areas in Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Dumangas, Passi City and San Enrique, which collectively produce about 4.85 million bags of palay annually.

While the NFA has averaged an annual procurement of 281,728 bags over the last five years, this new facility will allow it to buy an extra 3,600 bags of palay daily, or roughly 324,000 additional bags across two planting seasons and effectively doubling its local procurement volume, according to DA.

As a result, the NFA’s palay absorption rate in the region will rise to 10% to 12%, the DA added. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA News