PH’s most high-tech rice processing center opens in Leyte
By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
What could be the most technologically-advanced rice processing center in the country, or even Southeast Asia, can now be found at a two-hectare plot of land in the far-flung and little-known village of Madburon, Alangalang town, Leyte.
No less than President Rodrigo Duterte led the inauguration of the the P1.7-billion Chen Yi Agventures (CYA) Rice Processing Complex last Friday, July 5.
Established through the joint effort of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the high-tech rice processing center in Leyte is seen to help Filipino farmers increase their income and ensure the country’s food supply.
Duterte, speaking at the inauguration, said that with today’s fast-paced and highly modernized society, there is a need to utilize the latest technologies to help the people have better and productive lives.
Chen Yi Agventures, owned by Rachel Renucci-Tan and Patrick Renucci, is the only fully-integrated and sustainable rice production business in the Philippines.
The two-hectare complex is the most technologically advanced rice processing center in Southeast Asia and the largest in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
“This project is a testament to our commitment to find more ways to actively respond to the various problems and challenges confronting the agricultural industry…that we are taking initiatives to sustain our rice supply and ensure food security for our nation,” the President said during the unveiling of the facility’s marker.
President Duterte also said: “I am hopeful that CYA will be able to help us to continuously propel the agricultural sector forward by providing our farmers with the equipment and technical assistance that they need to produce high quality rice.”
The new processing center uses temperature-controlled silos with a total capacity of 6,000 metric tons for its Phase 1, keeping dried palay in a freshly harvested condition for over one year and enabling the facility to produce world-class rice.
The Chief Executive also believed that the Renucci partnership program will be able to truly improve the well-being of the country’s farmers by helping them realize their role as the true drivers of agricultural development.
“I hope that CYA and the local government of Leyte will continue to take further strides in spurring countryside development as well as the others in advancing the rice industry towards more progressive and modern practices,” he said.
Also present during the ceremonies were Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Solicitor General Jose Calida, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez, Municipal Mayor Lovell Anne Yu, and Chen Yi Agventures Rice Processing Complex founder François Patrick Renucci. (Based on PND Press Release)
