THE National Food Authority (NFA) on Wednesday inaugurated an upgraded P355.4-million integrated grains facility in Dumangas, Iloilo, one of the country’s major rice-producing regions.
The facility is a modern warehouse equipped with a 10-ton-per-hour rice mill and a 240-ton-per-day mechanical grain dryer, upgrades expected to boost the NFA’s palay-buying capacity.
The equipment will enable the purchase of an additional 3,600 bags of palay (unmilled rice) daily, or roughly 324,000 bags over two cropping seasons — more than double the NFA’s average annual procurement of 281,728 bags in the area over the past five years.
This would raise the NFA’s palay absorption rate in covered areas to 10–12 percent, giving local farmers a larger, more dependable market.
The warehouse, located in Barangay Monfort South, will serve rice-producing areas including Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Dueñas, Passi City and San Enrique, which collectively produce about 4.85 million bags of palay annually.
Once fully operational, it will benefit an additional 1,000 farmers, on top of the 804 individual farmers and 41 organizations — representing about 2,000 members — being served by the Dumangas Grains Center.
“Modern equipment allows us to buy more palay, reduce waste and move grains into our buffer stocks faster. Farmers gain a dependable buyer, while consumers benefit from a stronger and more reliable rice supply,” NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that every [palay] bag saved and procured strengthens the country’s ability to keep rice affordable and available, particularly during supply disruptions.
The NFA said the facility supports the country’s broader shift in food security strategy from import dependence toward stronger domestic supply chains, reduced postharvest losses and larger local rice buffer stocks.
