A modernized warehouse, along with four units of mechanical dryers and a rice mill, will soon rise on the National Food Authority compound in Barangay Saludares, following a simple groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday attended by local officials and accredited farmers’ organizations.

With a project cost of around PHP214 million, the NFA’s modern post-harvest facilities in this rice granary town in the province are expected to be completed within eight months, or before the end of this year.

“It’s the first time for NFA to be given funds like this, and we thank our beloved President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for this,” Veralew De Vera, NFA deputy administrator, said in Filipino during a media interview after the groundbreaking rites.

He said the modern warehouse is the third to be constructed this year in the Ilocos Region, which will boost NFA’s buffer stocking and modernization program.

Meanwhile, the recirculating mechanical dryers will have a capacity of 30 tons per batch, and the rice mill will have a capacity of 10 tons per hour.

This breakthrough project by NFA under the Marcos administration is expected to boost NFA Ilocos Norte’s palay-drying capacity, enabling it to purchase more wet palay from local farmers.

Conversely, the food agency’s long-term strategy involves installing mechanical dryers to upgrade its storage and processing capabilities, all while maintaining rice quality and food security.

“This project will bring more opportunities to us farmers in Ilocos Norte. It will help stabilize prices, and more importantly, we will no longer be hard up to dry our palay in the streets,” said Primo Francisco, president of the Zanjera Federation Namnama Inc. from Solsona, Ilocos Norte, as he also thanked the President for allocating a budget for the NFA modernization.

For his part, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc lauded the NFA officials for their efforts to modernize their services to benefit more farmers.

“I hope that this will truly be effective and efficient to secure our buffer stock and fast-track this processing center for the benefit of farmers,” he said in his speech during the program. (PNA)