DA-PhilMech helps increase cassava output in Quirino province

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) is helping increase the production of cassava in Quirino province.

The use of a flatbed dryer by a cooperative planting cassava in Quirino province has resulted in a big increase of areas planted to the crop.

The Abrasa Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AMPC) in Diffun, Quirino has been planting cassava to supply San Miguel Corp. for the company’s feed processing needs.

The AMPC started farming cassava in 2008 with 20 hectares. But with the discovery that flatbed dryers could be effectively used to dry cassava, especially during the rainy season, the cooperative expanded their lands planted to cassava to 200 hectares. They plan to add another 500 hectares this year devoted to cassava.

The flatbed dryers used by the cooperative were provided by the DA-PhilMech.

DA-PhilMech executive director Ricardo L. Cachuela said that the cooperative discovered in July 2010 that flatbed dryers could be used to efficiently dry cassava, prompting more farmers in Quirino to plant the perennial crop.

The use of flatbed dryers also allowed cassava farmers to harvest the root crop all year round.

Since flatbed dryers use biomass to generate heat, the cooperative need not purchase fuel to operate the dryers.

“When we did not have the flatbed dryers, we asked farmers to delay their scheduled harvest, and instructed them to harvest only when there is  enough time to dry the cassava when the sun is up. But when we discovered the flatbed dryer, they can now harvest anytime. Shrinkage of cassava was also minimized,” Jomar Corpuz, the operations manager of AMPC said.

Fresh cassava are bought by the cooperative from its members. The cooperative will then cut the fresh cassava using a palay thresher. The freshly-cut cassava will then be dried using a flatbed dryer to achieve the required 14 percent moisture content.

Before discovering the use of flatbed dryers to dry cassava, the cooperative simply relied on sun drying which was tedious, time consuming and made the freshly cut cassava open to contamination from the air.

With more efficient drying operations, the cooperative delivers 100 metric tons of dried cassava to the SMC plant in Echague, Isabela province.

With the expansion of its plantations, the cooperative plans to increase the frequency of deliveries of dried cassava.

Cachuela said that the discovery by AMPC that cassava could be efficiently dried using flatbed dryers would be beneficial for industries and companies using cassava, and the farmers who cultivate the crop.

“Cassava during the past decades was planted only when there is no other crop to plant. But the Department of Agriculture sees a huge potential in cassava as a source of feeds, and many industries need cassava,” Cachuela said.

While cassava is also a staple, it has many industrial uses and can be used as feed for livestock. It is also a good source of bioethanol.

The DA is pushing for the expansion of areas planted to cassava to supplement corn as an animal feed.

Cassava can be planted in areas where there is a not much water and along hilly areas.

DA-PhilMech is also cooperating with a local manufacturer of farm machinery, Agricomponent Machinery and Construction Corp., for the development of a drying system for granulated cassava, which is used as an animal feed ingredient. 

Agricomponent is based in Cauayan City, Isabela and is an accredited DA-PhilMech manufacturer of flatbed driers and multi-fuel biomass furnace.