Farmers acquire rice harvester from DoST-IX
A rice harvester amounting to P685,000.00 was recently released to members of the Mabuting Pangkabuhayan Association during a simple handover ceremony through the Department of Science and Technology Region IX (DoST-IX), thru its Provincial S&T Center in Zamboanga del Sur (PSTC-ZDS) that is seen to improve their operation.
The use of the harvester aims to address problems such as labor shortage, harvest schedule delays, and low farmer revenue. Through the mechanization of their operations, the farmers will speed up the processing time and greatly improved produce quality.
Before the mechanization, farmers would only harvest from a minimum of one hectare per day, gaining P5,000.00, but with the introduction of the technology, the farmers are expected to handle two to three hectares a day that will give them earnings of between P10,000.00 to P15,000.00.
Present during the handover were the association members led by President Bobby Dillera, and PSTC-ZDS personnel led by Provincial S&T Director Engr. Gerardo Parot. The harvester was acquired under the project titled, “Roll-out of Science, Technology and Innovation of Locally Developed Combine Rice Harvester to Enhance Rice Farm Productivity”, that was locally funded and developed through the agency’s local Grants-in-Aid (GIA) program.
The GIA program provides grants for the implementation of programs and/or projects identified in the current DoST priorities and thrusts and supports S&T activities classified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
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