Bukidnon farmers get P4.5M rice dryer from DA-NorMin

 MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA)—The Department of Agriculture in Northern Mindanao (DA-NorMin) has turned over the P4.5 million recirculating rice dryer to Simaya Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Simaya ARC).

The facility has a drying capacity of six tons over 8-16 hours and is funded by the agency's Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) in the amount of P2.78 million from the Bayanihan 2 funds, with a counterpart by the city government of Malaybalay in the amount of P1,763,025.

DA-NorMin Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado said the Simaya ARC is one of the few identified surviving cooperatives in the locality, with 118 members covering about 400 hectares of rice area that expands to more than 700 hectares to its neighboring farming barangays.

DA-10 AMAD’s Supervising Agriculturist Ferdinand Caraballe said that farmer cooperatives and associations must undergo the process of accreditation to become direct recipients of government projects.

“Our farmers must register in the Farmers and Fisherfolks Enterprise Development Information System (FEDIS) to access other interventions, particularly for rice-related facilities such as rice processing centers,” he said. 

This, according to Caraballe, qualifies them for collateral-free, interest-free loans from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) and the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC).

Also gracing the activity are field officers from DA-10’s Bukidnon Provincial Operations Center and Malaybalay City government officials. (DA-10/PIA 10-Bukidnon)

Carlene C. Collado, Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture-Northern Mindanao, and Malaybalay City officials deliver the P4.5 million recirculating rice dryers to Simaya Agrarian Reform Cooperative. The rice dryer units were funded by the department in the amount of P2.78 million from Bayanihan 2 funds, with a counterpart by the city government of Malaybalay in the amount of P1,763,025. (DA-10)