EV farmers to receive farm machineries

By Aurora J. Casimpan

Wednesday 6th of June 2012

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, June 6 (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture intends to increase rice production from five to 10 percent through farm mechanization and postharvest, and will award machines to farmers in this regard.

So says Cesar BalaJadia, Visayas region cluster head of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech), saying that government will award to farmers’ groups in Eastern Visayas more than P163.9 million worth of farm machinery and post-harvest facilities within the year.

The equipment will be used to modernize and increase rice production by 10 percent until 2016.

Priority beneficiaries of the equipment are farmer associations, organizations, and associations where ownership of the machinery will be supported by a financing scheme where 85 percent of the cost of the farm equipment will be shouldered by government.

It was learned that PhilMech has so far awarded 99 hand tractors, 40 multi-purpose drying pavements (MPDP), 29 flatbed driers, 46 threshers, 31 seed clearance, and a ricemill to a farmers’ organization in the region.

This year, PhilMech will distribute 178 hand tractors, 99 threshers, 218 flatbed driers, 60 palay shredders, 16 moisture meters, 35 rice cutters, a combine harvester, and a four-wheel drive tractor.

Farm mechanization will help farmers in land preparation, seeding and harvesting, lessen the time ensured in farming, which hopefully will help in achieving rice sufficiency. (EOPT/AJC-PIA 8)