To help strengthen rice production support in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, the Department of Science and Technology in the province formally turned over a drying and milling facility to the local government June 3.
The facility includes a six-ton capacity recirculating grain dryer and a 0.5-ton/hour multi-pass rice mill designed to help local farmers improve drying efficiency, enhance rice quality, reduce postharvest losses, and increase the value recovered from every sack of palay.
The initiative reflects the DOST’s continuing commitment to bring science and technology closer to farming communities, and helps farmers lose less, earn more, and contribute to food security and countryside development, the agency said.
The project is expected to support local rice farmers through better access to science-based postharvest technologies, it added.
Provincial DOST personnel earlier conducted an energy efficiency and conservation assessment (EECA) and test run, to evaluate the operating condition and energy performance of the multi-pass rice mill and dryer, assisted under its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).
The activity was aimed at verifying whether the equipment remains functional, efficient, and suitable for continued use, based on its intended operation and technical specifications, while identifying opportunities to improve operation, preventive maintenance, and energy management.
Under its EECA consultancy program, the DOST continues to support food security, agricultural productivity, and energy efficiency amid rising production costs, helping farmers’ cooperatives reduce postharvest losses, improve output, lower operating expenses, and sustain local enterprise operations through practical science, technology, and innovation-based solutions, it added. ||
