Negocc obtains P9.2M in farm machineries for mechanization
THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental has obtained a total of P9.2 million in machineries it purchased for its province-led focused mechanization program.
The amount comprised two units of 70 horsepower harvester worth P4 million; three units of ride on transplanter, P3.2 million; two units of walk behind transplanter, P800,000; and one laser leveler, P800,000.
Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino yesterday said the machineries were delivered over the weekend and are currently housed at the Rice Processing Complex at Barangay Tabunan in Bago City.
These form part of the P25 million worth of farm mechanization equipment to be purchased by the province, Masculino said.
The remaining machineries worth P15.8 million include five tractors and three 35 horsepower harvesters.
These are expected to arrive until next week, he said, adding that “we can now start the province-led focused mechanization program with the arrival of these farm machineries.”
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) is developing a 200-hectare rice farm at Barangay Taloc in Bago City into a model farm through full mechanization.
Under the focused mechanization program, the province will provide the machineries and operate the farm from land preparation, transplanting to harvesting.
“We will teach farmers how to operate these machineries. So as we move towards full mechanization, we will have a pool of ready and equipped operators,” he added.
Masculino earlier said that once the program is successful, it will be expanded to other areas covered by the Bago River Irrigation System and eventually to other irrigated areas in the province.
Moreover, under the program, farmers will not pay such services during the start of production, but after they can harvest.
Though seeds will be given by the province for free, Masculino said farmers still need financial support for other production inputs.
Thus, included in the services offered to the farmers is introducing them to other windows for financial support.
Aside from Production Loan Easy Access program of the Department of Agriculture with six percent interest rate per annum, they will also be introduced to the production loan program of the Land Bank of the Philippines with interest rate of only two percent per anum.
“Through this measure,
we hope to revolutionize or transform the local agriculture sector to a better one,” he reiterated, adding that the province is really banking
on farm mechanization to boost the local rice sector while helping farmers improve their profitability./ EPN