A total of 205 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) and local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental received PHP692.7 million in various rice machinery and equipment in six years under the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.

Part of the grant, amounting to PHP217.076 million in machinery and equipment, was distributed to 50 beneficiaries by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) in a ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol grounds on Tuesday.

“We want to provide you with a high level of mechanization to reduce production cost for cooperatives and farmers to earn more. The objective is to reduce postharvest losses,” PhilMech Director for Research and Development Nelson Santiago said.

Santiago, together with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, DA Negros Island Region Regional Executive Director Jose Albert Barrogo, led the turn-over ceremony.

Under the RCEF Mechanization Program for 2022, 2023, and 2024, the 50 beneficiaries received 116 units of different production machinery and equipment.

These included four-wheel T2 tractors worth PHP10.385 million; four-wheel R3 tractors, PHP27.598 million; power take-off driven disc plow, PHP11.856 million; levee maker, PHP3.32 million; hand tractor, PHP1.024 million; floating tiller, PHP1.544 million; walk-behind transplanter, PHP2.1 million; riding-type transplanter, PHP3.45 million; rice combine harvester (T2-JS), PHP10.44 million; rice combine harvester (T2-FDS), PHP12.009 million; rice combine harvester (T-3), PHP7.679 million; recirculating dryer (T3), PHP10.186 million; single pass rice mill-stationary, PHP6.175 million; and multi-stage rice mill, PHP109.306 million.

Albert Laberos, president of Lateral I-Pacol Irrigators’ Association Inc. in Bago City, which received a total of PHP2.83 million worth of farm equipment, said he is thankful to the government for continuing to support the rice farmers in Negros Occidental.

“This will greatly help reduce our production cost and increase our yield. We now produce more than four metric tons per hectare. If the weather is good, we can even reach six metric tons,” he added.

Federation of Irrigators’ Association of Central Negros-Bago River Irrigation System president Pedro Limpangog said the rice farmers are grateful to receive the machinery and equipment because they really need it.

“The farmers can save much on production cost. This means more food for the family, more allowance for children going to school,” he added.

Data of the DA-PhilMech showed the total grant received by Negros Occidental FCAs and LGUs from 2019 to 2024 fund resources included PHP150 million in 2019; PHP149.9 million in 2020; PHP138.8 million in 2021; PHP80.4 million in 2022; PHP81.5 million in 2023; and PHP92.1 million in 2024. (PNA)