LA UNION BULLISH IN HIKED RICE PRODUCTION WITH NFA’S P200M FACILITY

August 17, 2024 Provincial

SAN FERNANDO La Union sees an increase in its rice production, thus reinforcing its high rice sufficiency status, as the provincial government and National Food Authority (NFA) just entered into a partnership to accelerate rice productivity in the province. La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega David and NFA Administrator Larry Lacson signed a Deed of Usufruct on August 7, 2024, at the Provincial Capitol in San Fernando City, La Union’s
capital, which greenlights the construction of a P200 Million rice processing center by the NFA in a two-hectare PGLU property located in Damortis, Santo Tomas town.

La Union is keen to leverage on its rice self sufficiency status in realization of its vision to be the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025 with the construction of the facility, Ortega-David said. The integrated rice
processing center will feature advanced state of the art technologies and facilities such as rice mill, mechanical dryer,
100,000-bag capacity warehouse, generator sets, three-phase power supply, electronic truck scale, and a staff house.
The bidding for the project will commence this year, and construction target is by July 2025.

Upon completion, the project will be the first NFA-owned rice processing center in the Ilocos region. NFA Administrator Lacson cited and lauded La Union’s rice sufficiency with 152,000 metric tons of rice produced in a year. With a production rate of 4.5 metric tons per hectare, the province also surpasses the national production average of four metric tons per hectare. He also emphasized that the establishment of a government-owned rice processing facility will ensure efficient and sustainable processing of high quality rice, and spur growth of the local rice industry. “This is part of NFA’s plan to boost national food security through modernized processing facilities,” Lacson said.

Ortega-David thanked NFA for recognizing the province’s thrust on local agricultural productivity, saying, “we vigorously work with the national government agencies like the NFA in our shared mandate to promote the welfare and interests of our farmers and agricultural workers”. After all, their livelihood is the lifeblood of our society, she stressed. The Governor vowed her administration shall continue to ensure maximum support to farmers
and agri-entrepreneurs. Through the Palay Marketing Assistance for Legislators and Local Government Units (PALLGU), the PGLU supplements NFA’s buying price of palay with a top-up of five-peso premium per kilo – among the highest in the country.

This fosters trust among rice farmers in engaging directly with the government, thus not only increasing their income but also streamlining the rice value chain. The establishment of the rice processing center will also strengthen La Union’s strategic position in disaster response. “As NFA’s buffer stock will be housed here in La Union, our provision of relief goods during emergencies and calamities will be faster,” Ortega-David added.

Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN