DA Equips Farmers Of Iloilo Rice Processing Complex Management Skills

DA Equips Farmers Of Iloilo Rice 

Processing Complex Management Skills

The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office 6 is scheduled to turn over the P200 million Korean International Cooperative Agency (KOICA)- funded Rice Processing Complex (RPC)  to Pototan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PFMPC).  To prepare the coop members for the commercial operations of the RPC, the DA conducted a three-day training on business planning and value chain analysis, held at West Visayas State University (WVSU) - Pototan Campus on November 10-12, 2014. 

The training spearheaded by Prof. Florencio Dagdag of WVSU College of Business and Management, was aimed to enhance the capability of the PFMPC in value-adding and business entrepreneurial enterprises which focus on palay processing and trading.

Prof. Dagdag encouraged coop members to make Iloilo RPC a growth-oriented enterprise to achieve its sustainability and to complement the needs of the farmers in the community. 

RPC Plant Manager Josefa S. Melocoton said that PFMPC, a cooperative established in 1969, is selected as the recipient farmers’ organization to take over the management of Iloilo RPC from the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR). Iloilo RPC is being managed by the NABCOR since its first operation in April 2012. 

PFMPC chaired by Andrei B. Celiz has more than 4,180 actual members. This cooperative has provided P2 million equity for the operations of the RPC, making PFMPC capable to take over the management.

Through KOICA, the Korean Government put up RPCs in the strategic sites of Pangasinan, Iloilo, Bohol and Davao Del Sur in order to help the Philippines attain technical and agriculture mechanization development. The Iloilo RPC is jointly owned by DA and the Municipal Government of Pototan. The Iloilo RPC situated in Brgy. Amamaros, Pototan has the capability to produce high quality milled rice—from regular to well and premium milled rice. /MP