Gov’t taps local firms to manufacture farm equipment

The government has tapped three local firms to manufacture several farm equipment that Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) has developed as part of efforts to mechanize the struggling farm sector.

In a statement, PHilMech said it has recently licensed three local firms

NSB Engineering and Design Fabrication, Sohab Garcia Photography and Enterprises, and Diordan Construction to fabricate its Multi-Commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (MCSTD), Manual Coffee Pulper and the Cassava Digger. PHilMech Director Baldwin Jallorina said this is part of the agency’s program to support the local metal industry as well as to increase the supply of locally-manufactured farm machines in the country.

“The local metal industry has the potential to manufacture quality farm machines and equipment if given the proper support. The vision is for the Philippines to manufacture most of its farm machinery requirements in five to six years,” he said.

NSB Engineering and Design Fabrication based in Taguig City was given the license to manufacture the MCSTD, which is an enclosed dryer to reduce the moisture or dry agriculture commodities using the heat of the sun.

It has the advantage of protecting the commodities from harmful exposure from the air. Among the commodities the MCSTD can dry are fish, tomatoes, fruits, among others.

NSB Engineering has been in the metal fabrication industry for 17 years and manufactures jigs and fixtures for various industries. It also supplies a number of components for an airline company.

Based in Sorsogon City, Sohab Garcia Photography and Enterprises has also been given the license to manufacture the MCSTD. It has been in the metal industry for seven years and supplied most of the solar-powered streetlights in Sorsogon.

Meanwhile, Diordan Construction has been licensed to manufacture the Cassava Digger and the Manual Coffee Pulper.

The company, based in South Cotabato, fabricated the six-megawatts (MW) biomass power plant of Biotech Farms, and was one of the contractors for the establishment of the 100-MW powerplant of Sarangani Energy Corp.

The Cassava Digger, developed by PHilMech in collaboration with the Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI) of Thailand, allows the harvesting of cassava roots crops at a rate of 1.8 to three hectares per day. It is drawn by a farm tractor. Using the manual method, it takes more than a day to harvest cassava from a hectare.

The Coffee Pulper, on the other hand, can depulp coffee beans at a rate of 40 to 50 kilograms per day, which is more than twice faster using the manual method using handheld tools.