Amid the ongoing matter regarding lower prices for locally-produced palay, or rice, the Department of Agriculture said their rice processing centers set up across the Western Visayas have benefitted at least 18,000 local farmers.
At the centers, grains are milled, cleaned, among other processes.
“We have 24 processing centers in the region,” said focal person, Engr. Israel Barros. “Our milled rice can compete with the milled rice sold in the commercial market; and even with the imported rice.”
According to the department, each processing center registers a 65 percent milling recovery, which refers to the amount of grains successfully husked. The figure is higher than the average 50 percent recorded by single-pass rice mill of commercial millers./WDJ