AURORA COOPERATIVES GET FARM MACHINES
AURORA province, through six qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations, recently received six fourwheel tractors and three rice combine harvesters under the mechanization component of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) being implemented by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization ( PHilMech).
During the ceremonies held at the provincial capitol in Baler, Aurora last June 16, PHilMech Director Baldwin Jallorina also encouraged the farmer-recipients to use the machines efficiently to also rebrand the image of rice farming in the eyes of the youth.
“ (Let us utilize the farm machines and together change the image of farming in the eyes of the next generations),” he said.
According to statistics, the average age of farmers in Aurora is 55 years old. Aurora Gov. Gerardo Noveras sees the laborious work in the fields as the reason the youth refuses to engage in of this farm machine distribution is the youth will gain interest in farming and continue their food production activities of their parents for the sake of our countrymen),” the governor said.
Dionisio Pablo, one of the recipients of the farm machines and chairman of Detailen Maria Aurora Irrigators Association, thanked PHilMech and said the machines would help improve their production and encourage their children to join them in farming.
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(We need farm machines because in this present time, it is very hard to attract the youth to farming),” Pablo said.
Aurora Vice Gov. Christian Noveras, provincial agriculturist Arnold Novicio, Zenaida Castañeda of the Program Coordinating Office of Aurora and other local officials attended the ceremonies.