LINGAYEN–A state-of-the art rice processing complex (RPC) will be built in Sta. Barbara town this year to be funded by a financial grant from the Korean government.

The plan was firmed up during a call to Gov. Amado Espino Jr. by a delegation from the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) led by Kim In and Young Saeng Lee on Tuesday after they visited the site inside the Provincial Nursery in Sta. Barbara where the project will be located.

Prior to their visit, Espino and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap signed a  memorandum of agreement with Kim for the establishment of  the RPC that  will occupy a one-hectare area and estimated to cost  P112 million.

Construction is expected to start in September and once completed, the RPC is seen to benefit more than 200,000 farmers in Pangasinan.

The project aims principally to reduce post-harvest costs with the use of modern rice production facilities for milling, drying and storing and other contemporary production technologies to produce high quality rice.

The RPC will have a drying capacity of 5,600 metric tons per year or 1,000 bags per day, milling capacity of 2.5 metric tons or an equivalent of 50 cavans per hour, and a storage capacity of 1,100 tons of dried paddy.

“This is very timely and important to us because Pangasinan is an agricultural province,” said Espino as he thanked the Korean government for choosing the province as one of the recipients of the project.

The other RPC projects to be financed from the Korean financial grant will be in Bohol, Davao del Sur and Iloilo. —LM

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