Batad rice warehouse strengthens Iloilo post-harvest support

By Mariela Angella Oladive

A newly turned-over PHP 7.9 million rice warehouse in Batad town is expected to improve how farmers handle their harvest as the Iloilo provincial government expands support beyond farm production to processing and storage.

The facility was handed over March 19 by the Provincial Agriculture Office and can hold about 10,000 sacks of palay weighing 50 kilograms each.

Located in Barangay Nangka, the warehouse adds to a growing cluster of rice support infrastructure in northern Iloilo.

Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Mayor Elvira Alarcon and Provincial Agriculture Office acting head Felina Grace Basco led the turnover and underscored the province’s push to strengthen the rice value chain.

“This is provincial government support for our rice program. Rice is our primary commodity in Iloilo, and we fully support our value chain,” Basco said.

More than a storage facility, the warehouse has a milling machine from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, or PhilMech, allowing farmers and the managing cooperative to process palay closer to its source.

The project complements an existing rice processing complex funded by the Department of Agriculture through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, or RCEF, as well as a drying facility also provided by PhilMech, creating an integrated system for drying, milling and storage in one location.

RCEF is a national program designed to help modernize the rice sector through mechanization, seed development, credit assistance and extension services.

The Batad Multipurpose Cooperative, which has 216 members, will operate the facility.

The warehouse is expected to serve not only farmers in Batad but also producers from nearby municipalities, depending on operational capacity.

Under the setup, the cooperative may buy palay, process it and sell milled rice, while also offering drying and storage services to farmers who prefer to market their produce independently.

Service fees have yet to be finalized.

Basco said the cooperative is preparing for full operations ahead of the first cropping season in August.

To support the rollout, the cooperative earlier secured PHP 3 million in seed funding through the Sagip-Saka Program of Sen. Francis Pangilinan and plans to use a significant portion to acquire a hauling truck.

The cooperative is also exploring additional financing through the provincial government’s cooperative office to expand operations.

The Batad warehouse is one of several agricultural infrastructure projects lined up by the province this year, including a separate PHP 20 million rice processing warehouse project in San Rafael town.