The Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), an adjunct of the Department of Agriculture, has turned over P398.5 million worth of agricultural machinery to the province of Nueva Ecija.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the distribution of 125 units of machinery to 88 qualified farmer cooperatives and associations (FCA) procured under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Apart from increased local palay production, Laurel hopes the machinery helps boost a harmonious relationship between farmers and the government.
Farm machines distributed include five units of four-wheel tractors, 22 units of hand tractors, nine units of walk-behind transplanters, 21 units of riding-type transplanters, four units of precision seeders, 22 units of rice combine harvesters, nine units of single-pass rice mills,13 units of six-ton recirculating dryers, 13 units of twelve-ton recirculating dryers, four units of 1.5-ton per hour (tph) multi-stage rice mills, two units of 2-3 tph multi-stage rice mills and one unit of 4-5 tph multi-stage rice mills.
“This is the biggest one-day distribution of farm machines and it clearly demonstrates how PhilMech has sustained the distribution of machinery and conducted various trainings for beneficiaries under the RCEF-mechanization program. Our ultimate aim is to modernize the countryside and make it contribute more to national economic development,” said Dionisio Alvindia, PhilMech executive director, in a statement.
PhilMech said that in Nueva Ecija alone, 935 units of various rice machinery and equipment were turned over to 444 FCAs from 2019 to 2023 under RCEF.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, palay or unhusked rice production total 19.76 million metric tons (MT) last year, of which 1.79 million MT or 9 percent were harvested in Nueva Ecija.
