La Union eyes higher rice output
BAGUIO CITY — La Union expects to boost rice production after the provincial government and National Food Authority (NFA) signed a deal to increase the output of farmers in the province.
La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David and NFA Administrator Larry Lacson signed a deed of usufruct on Aug. 7 at the Provincial Capitol in San Fernando City, greenlighting the construction of a P200-million rice processing center by the NFA on a two-hectare property owned by the province in Damortis, Santo Tomas town.
La Union is keen to leverage its rice self-sufficiency status as it tries to become the center of agri-tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025 with the construction of the facility, Ms. David said.
The integrated rice processing center will feature state-of-the-art technology such as a modern rice mill, mechanical dryer, 100,000-bag capacity warehouse, generator sets, a three-phase power supply, electronic truck scale and a staff house.
The bidding for the project will start this year, and the construction target is by July 2025. Once completed, the project will be the first NFA-owned rice processing center in the Ilocos region.
Mr. Lacson praised 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. — Artemio A. Dumlao