NUEVA ECIJA FARMERS TRANSITION TO MECHANIZE FARMING
Through “Rice Tariffication Law” or Republic Act No. 11203, the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) was created to advance rice farmers’ competitiveness and income amidst liberalization of the Philippine rice trade policy that lifted quantitative boundaries on rice imports and replaced it with tariffs. RCEF has a P10 billion annual appropriation for the next six years to be disbursed into four major components.
Mechanization Program is one of the four components of RCEF with five (5) billion or 50% of the total allocated yearly fund. The aim of this program is to elevate the farmers’ productivity, profitability and competitiveness through mechanized production and post-production systems.
With this, the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) conducted a turn-over ceremony of various types of farm machinery to the farmers of Nueva Ecija on November 11, 2020, held at PhilMech Main Office, College Avenue, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.
A total of 139 Farmers’ Cooperative and Associations (FCAs) were given farm machinery grants which comprise 79 units of Four-Wheel-Drive Tractor, 30 units of Rice Combine Harvester, 4 units of Riding-Type Mechanical Rice Transplanter and 3 units of Walk-Behind Mechanical Rice Transplanter.
PhilMech Director Baldwin Jallorina said that the distribution was part of the second batch of the year 2019 and the first batch of the 2020 RCEF budget.
“Ang Nueva Ecija po ang nangungunang probinsya sa ating bansa pagdating sa produksyon ng palay. Kaya naman ito po bilang sumasaludo sa magiting na magsasakang Nueva Ecijano tanggapin ninyo ang 116 units assorted farm machinery na may kabuuang budget na P469.4 million. Ipakita natin sa mga kabataan na merong kinabukasan sa pagsasaka dahil may suporta ng gobyerno, may mga makinarya na magpapabilis at magpapagaan sa pagsasaka” said Jallorina.
On his part, Director Crispulo Bautista announced a positive outcome of the agriculture sector amidst CoViD-19 Pandemic, “Agriculture is and will always be the backbone of one nation’s economy. Ang sector ng agrikultura lalong-lalo na dito sa third quarter ay nagkaroon ng growth na 1.2%. ‘Yan lang po ang sector na lumago kumpara sa ibang bumaba ngayon panahon ng pandemya kaya nakikita po natin dito ang kahalagahan ng agrikultura”, he professed.
Further, Bautista also discussed two of the eight paradigms of DA Secretary William D. Dar to level up agriculture in the country,” Mechanization na katulad ng ginagawa nating distribution ng iba’t – ibang makinarya mula land preparation hanggang post-harvest facilities. Ito ay pagagaanin, magiging epektibo and will shorten our scheduled activities sa ating pagsasaka. Isa sa eight paradigms ay ang support ng legislative branch to provide additional funding sa ating agriculture sector”, he explained.
The ceremonial turn-over was assisted by the women legislators of Nueva Ecija; Hon. Estrellita B. Suansing of 1st District, Hon. Micaela S. Violago of 2nd District, Hon. Rosanna V. Vergara of 3rd District and Hon. Maricel Natividad-Nagaño of District 4 who were all present and has given cash assistance to the FCAs in support of the operations of farm machinery.
On behalf of all the FCA recipients, Danilo Sadiya of Compra Valeriana Caingin Irrigators Association Inc. expressed his gratitude to the boundless support of DA to farmers,”Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa mga bumubuo ng programang ito. Sa DA-PhilMech at sa lahat ng tulong upang mabigyan ng tulong ang mga magsasaka upang tumaas ang antas ng pamumuhay na kagaya naming magsasaka. Asahan po ninyo ang aming nakuhang makinarya ay gagamitin naming ng tama at aming iingatan”, Sadiya exclaimed.
Lastly, DA PhilMech unceasingly accepting requests with the preferred machinery of FCAs and will assuredly grant them provided the completion of requirements.###
Writer: Ernesto Payawal
Photographer: Renzo Tobias