Agusan Sur farmer-associations get rice harvester machines, trailers from PHilMech
By Jennifer Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) has turned over the three units of rice combine harvesters with trailers and mud boats to farmers’ associations in Agusan del Sur.
San Francisco Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo expressed her gratitude to PHilMech and the Department of Agriculture for the aid given to farmers in her municipality.
Corn
and rice combine harvesters with trailers and mud boats were provided to the
farmer associations of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur by the Department of
Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and
Mechanization (PHilMech) on March 18, 2024. Photo courtesy of LGU-San
Francisco.
She
highlighted the significance of the farmers in ensuring food security; hence,
she welcomes any aid from other partners that would help uplift the lives of
the sector and enhance their livelihood.
“Agricultural
mechanization provides more monetary gain for large and small farms and reduces
the time needed to pay the laborers. Crop yields are also higher with
machinery, thus increasing farm profits,” said Paredes-Bravo.
She
further explained that with a corn and rice combine harvester, it makes the
harvesting process easier by combining six operations, such as gathering,
transporting, reaping, threshing, cleaning, and bagging, into one machine. “It
is the modern and efficient way of harvesting rice,” she said.
The
farmer association beneficiaries of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur received the
corn and rice combine harvester with trailer and mud boats from the Department
of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Center for Postharvest
Being one of the identified farmer-association beneficiaries, the Caimpugan Association of Native Farmers and Fishermen (CANFI), which received the rice combine harvester, thanked the national government for continuously extending assistance to the farmers, especially during this El Nino phenomenon, making it easier for them to harvest their yields.
The
Buensuerte Gibong Irrigators Association and the New Visayas Farmers
Association also received the same and expressed their commitment that their
organizations will also help other farmers in their community.
The
following also received mud boats: Buensuerte Gibong Irrigators Association (2
units), Mausawagan Farmers Association in Barangay Ladgadan (2 units), Borbon
Farmers Association (1 unit), New Visayas Farmers Association (1 unit), and
Masipag Irrigators Association in Barangay. Bayugan 2 (1 unit), and Apogan
Farmers Association sa Lapinigan (1 unit).
According
to PHilMech, a rice combine harvester is worth P1.7 million, while a mud boat
costs close to P100,000.
The local officials of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, led by Mayor Grace Carmel Paredes-Bravo, and representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech), congratulated all the farmer associations in the municipality for this endeavor. Photo courtesy of FITS-Center San Francisco.
Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen of DA-Caraga expressed his congratulations to all the beneficiaries and called on other individual farmers to join or organize their association so that their organization could also receive the different aids from the government agencies.
Mangelen
also reiterated that mechanization
allows for faster and more efficient farm operations, resulting in increased
productivity and output. “This helps farmers produce more food with less labor
and time, which can increase profits and improve food security,” he said.
As a
landlocked province, the farmer associations are hopeful for more interventions
from the government, as farming is the main source of their livelihood.
This Farm Mechanization Program was funded through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund of DA. (JPG, PIA-Caraga with a report from FITS Center San Francisco)
