Thanks to the investments of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the Heirloom Rice Center in Sadanga, Mountain Province is expected be operational next month following the completion of the Heirloom Rice Processing and Marketing enterprise subproject.

Under the management of the Anabel-Sadanga Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ASMPC) as the Proponent Group (PG) of the enterprise, the Heirloom Rice Center will be used as a consolidation and processing facility for the heirloom rice produce of farmers in Sadanga and in some barangays of nearby municipalities.

The center will serve as a processing and packaging facility and will offer the following services to its members and other heirloom rice farmers: receiving, weighing, quality checking and sorting of raw materials (dried palay), payment to the supplier, and storing.

On top of the 20 percent PG equity, the ASMPC plans to construct additional structures prior to its scheduled turnover this July.

“With authority from the BOD, everyone agreed to include the construction of a slope protection and an access road going to the center including the painting of the building,” said ASMPC Manager Ester Rose Chao-angan.

Now that the center is completed, Jose F. Lampesa, ASMPC Board of Director (BOD) Chair, expects that heirloom rice farmers will be encouraged to increase their production since there is already a closer market outlet for their produce.

Aside from the two-story facility, ASMPC also received a hauling vehicle, a rice mill, and a trading capital amounting to P426.20 million (M) that was used to purchase raw materials (dried palay) from heirloom rice farmers.

In total, the enterprise subproject has a cost of P9.16 M funded under the DA-PRDP on a cost-sharing scheme- 60% came from World Bank loan proceeds, with counterpart funding from the DA (20%), the provincial local government of Mountain Province (20%), and another 20 percent equity from the proponent group (PG).

“As we implement our enterprise, we will also focus on completing other facilities needed in the center like cabinets for the display area, chairs, tables and other furniture which will also be part of our additional counterpart,” added Chao-angan. ### Elvy T. Estacio (RPCO-CAR InfoACE)