TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur – A ceremonial groundbreaking for the construction of a grain processing center took place at Libas Gua, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur on January 18.
The construction of the facility will be funded by the local government of San Miguel which allocated P30 million for the warehouse and land acquisition, and additional P20 million from the Office of Rep. Romeo Momo Sr.
The project will also get P60 million from the Department of Agriculture - Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.
A modern grain processing center will soon rise at Libas Gua, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur. The project received a high level of collaboration and support from the DA, DA-PhilMech, NFA, NEDA, Office of Rep. Romeo Momo Sr., and the provincial government of Surigao del Sur and LGU-San Miguel. Photo courtesy of LGU-San Miguel.
“As the granary capital of the region, this project will sustain the transformational journey of the farmers and bolster the agricultural development in Caraga region,” said San Miguel Mayor Michael Corilla.
“The facility is a perfect industrial innovation in agriculture that will soon position the town as the food terminal and agricultural processing zone that will greatly benefit and elevate the lives of our beloved farmers,” Mayor Corilla added.
The grain processing center, as authored and proposed by the Magroyong Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (MAFAMUCO), will serve as a facility to physically process the grain such as from rice, corn and soybean whereby the kernel is cleaned, adjusted to an appropriate moisture content and then mechanically reduced to the desired particle size to produce flour and other by-products.
According to Joeirene Campomanes, chairperson of MAFAMUCO, also highlighted the assistance and support of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur headed by Governor Alexander T. Pimentel through the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg), in the realization of this project as fulfillment of their commitment to improve the agricultural infrastructure in the province and support to the local farmers.”
“The national government through the DA and its attached agencies, National Food Authority (NFA), and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) provided tangible intervention in this project that underscored the country’s comprehensive approach to agriculture and economic development,” Campomanes said.
MAFAMUCO will serve as the worthy beneficiary of the grain processing center in the region. It is the only farmers’ cooperative that accomplished the implementation of the P5.5 million project under the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) of the DA - National Livestock Program during the last quarter of 2023. (NGPB/PIA-Surigao del Sur)
