The Department of Agriculture (DA) – Regional Field Office MIMAROPA turned over 3 units of combined harvester to the Provincial Government in an effort to help rice farmers in the province.
DA Regional Executive Director (RED) Antonio Gerundio turned over to Governor Jose Alvarez the farm equipment, which the Provincial Government will release to identify farmer groups in southern part of the province.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by Governor Jose Ch. Alvarez and DA-Mimaropa Regional Executive Director Antonio Gerundio states that the provision of the harvesters is part of the Rice Program of the DA under “On Farm Mechanization Program: Provision of Farm Mechanization Facilities and Equipment to Farmer Associations.”
The program is part of the DA’s aggressive implementation of rice mechanization program, by providing farm machineries and equipment to eligible farmers’ associations either through grant or counterparting scheme. The major responsibility of the recipient is to ensure that these machineries are always in good condition for their optimum utilization and benefits.
These combine harvesters make harvesting so much easier by combining six operations such as reaping, gathering, transporting, threshing, cleaning, bagging into one machine and reduces grain loss to less than 1%. It can harvest three hectares of rice field per day at eight hours per day of operation.
The combined harvesters’ target beneficiaries are rice farmers in Bataraza, Rice and Brooke’s Point towns.
Meanwhile, Gov. Alvarez assured other local farmers associations and cooperatives in the province that he will support the transport of farm machineries provided by the DA, from Nueva Ecija, so that they can also have their own equipment.
“Mga rice farmers mula sa bayan ng Bataraza, Rizal at Brooke’s Point ang target na benepisyaryo ng mga kagamitan. Para naman sa mga farmers associations and cooperatives, napagkasunduan na tutulong ang Pamahalaang Panlalawigan sa pag-transport ng ‘farm machineries’ mula Nueva Ecija patungo ng Palawan,” the statement of the Provincial Government said.
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