The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), turned over P398.5 million worth of agricultural machinery and postharvest facilities to the province of Nueva Ecija last week.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the distribution of 125 units of machinery to 88 qualified farmers’ cooperative and association (FCA) which were procured under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Laurel said the machinery awarded will be the key to harmonious relationship between farmers and the government.
Farm machines that were distributed include five units of four-wheel tractors, 22 units of hand tractors, nine units of walk-behind transplanters, 21 units of riding type transplanter, four units of precision seeders, 22 units of rice combine harvesters, nine units of single-pass rice mills; 13 units of six-ton recirculating dryers, 13 units of twelve-ton recirculating dryers, four units of 1.5-ton per hour (tph) multi-stage rice mills, two units of 2-3 tph multi-stage rice mills and one unit of 4-5 tph multi-stage rice mills.
“This is the biggest one-day distribution of farm machines and it clearly demonstrates how PhilMech has sustained the distribution of machinery and conducted various trainings for beneficiaries under the RCEF-mechanization program. Our ultimate aim is to modernize the countryside and make it contribute more to national economic development,” said Dionisio Alvindia, PhilMech executive director, in a statement.
PhilMech said that in Nueva Ecija alone, a total of 935 units of various rice machinery and equipment were turned over to 444 FCAs from 2019 to 2023 under RCEF.
