The Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech) has turne4d over a grant of P24.18 million agricultural machinery to 26 farmers’ cooperatives in the in province of Davao de Oro.
The 45 farm machinery were turned over to cooperatives and farmers’ associations in 8 rice-producing municipalities in the province.
The farmers and cooperative receive 8 hand tractors, 13 floating tillers, 2 precession seeders, 13 walk-behind transplanters, 1 riding-type transplanter, 6 combine harvesters, 1 mobile rice mill, and 1 single pass or stationary rice mill.
PhilMech Interim Director for Operations Joel Dator said that the provisions were supported by the Mechanization component of the 2022 Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) including some of the excess funds from 2021. The budgets for RCEP are provided through Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).
“Your need for mechanization to speed up work in the fields, these are the answers,” Dator said.
Before the distribution, farmer-beneficiaries received hands-on training from the DA for the maintenance and upkeep of machines.
Department of Agriculture Region XI Regional Director Abel James Monteagudo urged farmer-beneficiaries to take good care of the machines for long-term use.
“More farmers would benefit and receive Philmech programs through the 2023 funds,” Monteagudo said.
“The concept of mechanization is to reduce the cost of production and increase efficiency for the farmers to do their job in producing rice and other commodities in agriculture for the objective of food sufficiency,” Monteagudo said.
Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga and farmers-beneficiaries expressed gratitude to DA, PHilMech, and the office of Senator Cynthia A. Villar for the provisions given that would advance their farming ventures and increase income in return.
According to PhilMech’s data from 2019-2023, some P184 million in farm machinery was received by the province consisting of 224 units and benefited 97 farmers’ cooperatives and associations.
