Bukidnon farmers get P41.5 M agri machinery
A total of 10 farmer-cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in Bukidnon received on August 18, 2020, Php 41.5 million worth of agri-machinery units from the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech).
Key personalities from the DA and DA-PhilMech led the turnover of the agri-machinery units and awarding of certificates to the FCAs at the Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex, Barangay Dalwangan, Malaybalay City.
The FCA beneficiaries were:
San Martin North Main Canal Irrigators Association, Inc.
Capuna Irrigator’s Association
San Juan – Impasugong La Fortuna Irrigators Association Inc.
Nala Irrigators Association, Inc.
Cabanglasan Net Working Community Association Inc.
Veterans’ Plan Irrigators Association Inc.
Araneta Farmers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association. Multi-
Purpose Cooperative
Combenio Saranay Muti-Purpose Cooperative
Pangantucan Rice Producers Association (PRPA), Incorporated
Bagong Buhay Riceland Farmer Irrigators’ Association Inc.
The FCAs are based in Malaybalay, Valencia, Impasugong, San Fernando, Cabanglasan, Quezon, Pangantucan and Kalilangan.
The agri-machinery units include four-wheel drive tractor, float-assist tiller, rice precision seeder, walk-behind transplanter, four-wheel riding-type rice transplanter, rice reaper, rice combine harvester and mobile rice mill.
The first batch of the mechanization program in Region 10 has a budget of P103.7 million.
Rice mechanization is one of the components of Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, which stipulates the creation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) that would be funded from rice tariffs collections, with P10 billion allocation annually from 2019 to 2024 or
a period of six years.
The Province of Bukidnon, considered the food basket of Mindanao, contributes around 50-60 percent of rice sufficiency in the region with 98,000 hectares of rice harvest area. (Report by Bukidnon Online special correspondent Mel B. Madera)
