RICE-BASED Farmer Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) in Negros Occidental and other provinces in Western Visayas have received the initial batch of farm machinery amounting to P48 million through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Eight farmer groups in the province recently received eight units of riding-type transplanter worth P1.6 million each which form part of the 20 units distributed by the agency in the region.
For FCAs in other provinces, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMec) turned over two units to those in Aklan, also two units each in Antique, one unit in Capiz and seven in Iloilo.
These are on top of 10 units of precision seeders distributed to cooperatives and associations in Aklan with one, Capiz with two units, and Iloilo with seven units.
DA-PhilMec Visayas Cluster Head Engineer Romar Areno, in a statement, said the machines are used for rice production.
Areno said the precision seeder can plant pre-germinated seeds on a dry land preparation while the riding-type transplanter can plant young rice seedlings on a wetland preparation.
"Both can plant in a precise row spacing and distance between hills are adjustable depending on the desired space between 11 to 21 centimeters," he added.
The RCEF farm mechanization component seeks to benefit 38 FCAs from the 37 municipalities in Western Visayas under the 2019 budget.
To avail of the interventions, FCAs applied for the DA accreditation. Members of the eligible association should have at least 50 hectares of rice areas to qualify.
Also, the association must have a minimum rice area of 100 hectares within the peripheral barangays from the proposed location of the agricultural machinery and postharvest facilities.
"It is also important that FCAs can operate the machinery and equipment we provide," Areno said, citing that the operators underwent hands-on training before the turnover of the equipment.
The FCAs, for their part, had provided sheds for the machinery and were required to follow the suggested service fee.
To ensure the full utilization and sustainability of the intervention, the PhilMech also requires FCAs to handle the project using an integrated and systems approach of farm machinery operation and management.
DA-Western Visayas said the RCEF mechanization component seeks to increase farmers' productivity through efficient and cost-reducing rice mechanization interventions to eligible farmers groups.
The region has a P193.78 million allocation out of the P2 billion national budget for the first tranche implementation of the RCEF farm mechanization program, the agency added.
Other machinery and equipment such as the four-wheel-drive tractor, hand tractor, floating tiller and combine harvester are yet to be turned over within the year.
The PhilMech also has ongoing procurement for the remaining P3 billion national budget for RCEF mechanization support.
For her part, DA-Western Visayas Regional Director Remelyn Recoter said aside from mechanization, the program also aims to support the local rice farmers through the provision of quality seeds, access to credit, and rice extension service which are implemented by Philippine Rice Research Institute, Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Agricultural Training Institute and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, respectively.
"All these interventions are geared toward boosting the local production of rice and improving the competitiveness of rice farmers as the quantitative restrictions on rice importation were lifted in 2019 with the passage of RA (Republic Act) 11203 also known as the Rice Tariffication Law," she added. (With reports from DA-Western Visayas)
