FOR several decades now, post harvest losses has been a major problem experienced by farmers in Mahayag, one of the rice producing areas in the so-called Salug Valley area of Zamboanga del Sur. Farmers who toil for a bountiful harvest usually end up spent with low post harvest recovery of their perishable produce, especially palay.
Traditionally, farmers clear a portion of the streets, or in cemented roads where they are going to dry their palay. This practice causes too much grain being lost whenever vehicles pass over the grains.
The situation becomes difficult during rainy season. Farmers complain of losing sacks of palay seeds during drying whenever it rains intermittently and when farmers fail to beat the rain and cover it with tarpaulin to prevent it from getting wet or keep it in huts or granaries.
REDEMPTIVE FLAT BED DRYERS
The significant losses experienced by farmers were solved when the Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over a flat bed dryer to Upper Salug Daku Integrated Development Multi-Purpose Cooperative (USDIDMOPUCO) in Lower Mahayag (Lourmah).
President Gloria Arroyo, during her recent visit in Zambosur last Oct. 9, led the turnover ceremony with the Salug Valley farmers.
Felipe Baterna, USDIDMOPUCO general manager, said apart from the now operational flat bed dryer installed near their office, another one is due for delivery.
USDIDMOPUCO is one of the cooperatives in the region chosen as the primary beneficiaries of the dryers as it is the most organized clusters of farmers that applied and complied with the requirements.
“The unit has been a big help to us especially last wet season. We were able to dry 2,000 kilos of our members' palay since the visit of the President which earned us nearly P35,000,” Baterna said.
“Traders buy palay at a low price compared to that of NFA. Thus, we are grateful to President Arroyo for the various programs and projects that she gave to USDIDMOPUCO such as the subsidy of sale in fertilizer, corn sealer and the flat bed dryers,” Baterna added.
Juanito Bunsocan, federated chairman of farmers in Mahayag, likewise declared: “The use of mechanical dryers ensure quality rice grains. It lessen farmers’ dependence on weather conditions during harvest seasons and give farmers more time for post harvest field work.
“The installation of the dryer was timely. Without it, cooperative members could have not sold our palay because it’s always raining here. Further, it generates savings for us members, because the drying fee is cheap at 0.80 cents per kilo,” he explained.
The flat bed dryer does not only give farmers the ideal 14% moisture content of palay to yield quality milled rice but it also dries corn, copra and cassava chips to standard quality thereby meeting buyers’ satisfaction.
As one of DA’s flagship projects, some 84 units of mechanical flatbed dryers were distributed to irrigators and farmer’s association and cooperatives in the province.
About 75 units were installed and nine are soon to be installed with a total cost of P56,496,972,” said Warren Tenorio of the Regional Agricultural Engineer Division (RAED).
REPORT BY JUN CORGUE, PIA-9
Traditionally, farmers clear a portion of the streets, or in cemented roads where they are going to dry their palay. This practice causes too much grain being lost whenever vehicles pass over the grains.
The situation becomes difficult during rainy season. Farmers complain of losing sacks of palay seeds during drying whenever it rains intermittently and when farmers fail to beat the rain and cover it with tarpaulin to prevent it from getting wet or keep it in huts or granaries.
REDEMPTIVE FLAT BED DRYERS
The significant losses experienced by farmers were solved when the Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over a flat bed dryer to Upper Salug Daku Integrated Development Multi-Purpose Cooperative (USDIDMOPUCO) in Lower Mahayag (Lourmah).
President Gloria Arroyo, during her recent visit in Zambosur last Oct. 9, led the turnover ceremony with the Salug Valley farmers.
Felipe Baterna, USDIDMOPUCO general manager, said apart from the now operational flat bed dryer installed near their office, another one is due for delivery.
USDIDMOPUCO is one of the cooperatives in the region chosen as the primary beneficiaries of the dryers as it is the most organized clusters of farmers that applied and complied with the requirements.
“The unit has been a big help to us especially last wet season. We were able to dry 2,000 kilos of our members' palay since the visit of the President which earned us nearly P35,000,” Baterna said.
“Traders buy palay at a low price compared to that of NFA. Thus, we are grateful to President Arroyo for the various programs and projects that she gave to USDIDMOPUCO such as the subsidy of sale in fertilizer, corn sealer and the flat bed dryers,” Baterna added.
Juanito Bunsocan, federated chairman of farmers in Mahayag, likewise declared: “The use of mechanical dryers ensure quality rice grains. It lessen farmers’ dependence on weather conditions during harvest seasons and give farmers more time for post harvest field work.
“The installation of the dryer was timely. Without it, cooperative members could have not sold our palay because it’s always raining here. Further, it generates savings for us members, because the drying fee is cheap at 0.80 cents per kilo,” he explained.
The flat bed dryer does not only give farmers the ideal 14% moisture content of palay to yield quality milled rice but it also dries corn, copra and cassava chips to standard quality thereby meeting buyers’ satisfaction.
As one of DA’s flagship projects, some 84 units of mechanical flatbed dryers were distributed to irrigators and farmer’s association and cooperatives in the province.
About 75 units were installed and nine are soon to be installed with a total cost of P56,496,972,” said Warren Tenorio of the Regional Agricultural Engineer Division (RAED).
REPORT BY JUN CORGUE, PIA-9