The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has accelerated agricultural modernization with the completion of 145 rice processing systems (RPS) across the country in just 3 years.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the achievement was unparalleled in recent history, with additional facilities set to keep the modernization program on track for the remainder of the President’s term.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the project is a priority initiative of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.
“This is a legacy investment—one that finally gives our farmers the tools to compete and thrive,” Laurel said. He emphasized that the RPS project addresses the long-standing lack of drying and milling facilities that have limited the productivity of Filipino rice farmers.
Under RCEF 1.0, the government has already established 151 RPS units nationwide, 145 of which were completed under the current administration. The DA has allocated ₱3.3 billion to install 300 more drying systems over the next three years to boost rice drying capacity by up to 35 to 40 percent during the wet season by 2028.
The agency said this is expected to significantly reduce postharvest losses, which currently claim up to 16 percent of potential yield. Economists, however, caution that while investments in RPS are a crucial milestone, additional reforms are necessary.
“The Philippines has underinvested in postharvest systems for decades. This is a strong step forward, but structural issues in rice production cannot be solved by drying facilities alone. There must be parallel moves to improve land consolidation, irrigation, and market access,” said agricultural economist Noel Provido.
