More than one million farmers nationwide are benefiting from higher income due to the modern rice mills and dryers provided by the government.

According to a report by the Department of Agriculture to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the number of rice processing systems (RPS) established throughout the country through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) have reached 151.

The DA said 87 of these are already operational, while the rest will start in the coming days.

Through the modern post-harvest facilities, farmers enjoy PHP2 to PHP3 per kilo in additional earnings, or about 3 to 5 percent in additional income.

The 151 RPS, each consisting of a modern rice mill and dryers, were distributed to various rice farmers’ cooperatives and associations in 40 local government units across the country.

President Marcos recently visited one of the RPS in Nueva Ecija and witnessed how farmers benefited from the modern facility.

“Nandito na ang milling, nandito na ang drying. Lahat ng value-added eh nandito. Naiiwan sa kooperatiba. Naiiwan sa magsasaka (The milling and drying are here. All the value-added is already here. These were left to the cooperatives, to the farmers),” Marcos said.

“’Yung mga nagsasaka, nakangiti. Ibig-sabihin maayos ang kanilang hanap-buhay (The farmers are smiling. It means their livelihoods have improved),” the President added.

The government is pushing a more effective and modernized farming in the country through the RCEF, which has a yearly fund of PHP9-billion.

Aside from the rice mills and drying facilities, the Marcos administration is also distributing tillers, tractors, seeders, threshers and irrigation pumps to farmers.

More than 8,000 farmers’ cooperatives have benefited from the program and given the opportunity to support their members.

By the end of the year, 370 rice drying facilities-warehouses will be established to benefit farmers nationwide. (PNA)