Philmech to test compact corn mill prototype

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s primary agri-technology research agency is conducting a prototype testing on a compact corn mill that promises greater portability and milling efficiency than imported units.

Rex Bingabing, executive director of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech), said the compact corn mill could help increase the consumption of corn grits in remote corn-producing provinces.

“Corn grits, popularly known as mais-bugas, is a staple in many parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, and can also be consumed in communities where corn farming is more viable. But many far-flung communities hardly have or are far from corn-milling facilities,” he said.

The compact corn mill would be tested in Masbate, Bohol, and Surigao del Norte until the end of the year to determine its fitness for commercial use.

“This research effort supports the Food Staple Sufficiency Program (FSSP) of the Department of Agriculture which encourages households to also consume other staples like milled white corn, which can help relieve pressure on local rice supplies,” said Bingabing.

White corn processed into corn grits is the staple food of about 15 percent of the total Philippine population, mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The compact corn mill developed by Philmech has a grain recovery rate of between 60- to 70-percent, a viable recovery level for the production of corn grits.

The government is encouraging increased mechanization of farms, especially in grain-producing areas, to bring down the cost of production and increase product recovery.

Increased farm mechanization could also make the Philippine farm sector competitive with agricultural giants in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam.

The Philippines still imports most of its farm machinery needs especially heavy equipment like combined harvesters and grain processing systems. In remote grain production areas, grain is harvested manually resulting to high labor cost and lower recovery rate.