The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday, July 18, distributed over P95-million worth of farm machinery and equipment to various towns in the province.
Representatives coming from farm cooperatives and associations across the island including Puerto Princesa convened in Narra Gymnasium to claim the farm implements and inputs.
Local fisherfolk were part of the beneficiaries, too. The municipalities covered were Bataraza, Narra, Brooke’s Point, Dumaran, El Nido, Taytay, Roxas, San Vicente and Rizal.
RCEF aims to “improve Filipino farmers to become globally competitive, improve their farming system, and quality of service through appropriate mechanization technologies awarded in the program.”
DA-MIMAROPA distributed seeds, seedlings, plantlets, planting materials, rice cabans, assorted machinery, gas engines, diesel engines, four-wheel tractors, floating tillers, harrows, transplanters, harvesters, dryers, threshers, multi-stage rice mills, and other farming technologies intended for Palawan farmer-beneficiaries.
In total, DA gave away 92 units of farm equipment and machinery to thousands of Palawan farmers.
Aside from that, Palawan farmers also received P5,000 cash aid each and calamity goods such as canned goods, rice, and noodles.
According to DA-MIMAROPA, RCEF Mechanization Program will continually provide assistance to improve Filipino farmers’ income, yield, and ability to compete globally through the support of mechanization technologies from planting to postharvest.
The benefits program is expected to boost farming production in the province this year.
Rey Marenos, a farmer beneficiary from Dumaran, expressed gratitude for DA’s initiative to continually increase the production capacity of rice and other crop goods by providing them with training and programs and farming technologies they need.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa DA at sa mga programa at benepisyo na binibigay nila sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda, malaking tulong po ito,” Marenos said.
In a recent report, due to the onslaught of typhoon Odette, the Provincial Disaster and Needs Analysis (DANA) Team recorded over P3 billion worth of agricultural damage mostly from Roxas, San Vicente and Taytay towns.