Farmer-beneficiaries of the Provincial Agricultural Commodity Development Program (PACDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Antique will undergo training this month on how to use the farm machinery for rice and corn.
The availability of the new farm equipment such as hand tractors, rice threshers, and corn shellers, among others, will put an end to the beneficiaries’ reliance on renting machines from private individuals at a hefty price.
The farmers needed to be oriented as this will be the first time for most of them to use the new machinery as agreed with the suppliers of the equipment.
“The farmer-beneficiaries in the 18 municipalities (of Antique) will be trained by the suppliers on how to use the machines third week of April based on their schedule,” said Engineer Caroline Juadiong, Office of Provincial Agriculture (OPA) in charge of the machinery distribution, in an interview Friday.
The farmer associations were identified by their respective Municipal Agri-Fishery Council (MAFC) and their Municipal Agricultural Officer (MAO), she added.
“The machinery will boost the production of the farmers because they will now have something to use for their farms that they could rent from their association,” Juadiong said.
The farmers’ associations will manage the farm equipment and decide on the rental fee to be paid by their members for operation and maintenance.
The PACDP has extended a total of PHP50 million in a form of grants to 269 farmers’ associations in the province.
The first batch of recipients composed of 108 farmer associations received their new pieces of machinery of 33 floating tillers, 31 units of hand tractors with implements, 64 units of corn shellers, and 12 units of hammer mills amounting to around PHP16 million in October last year.
The second batch of machines was turned over to 161 farmer associations in the province on March 24, Juadiong said.
The PHP34 million worth of types of machinery for the second batch is composed of eight units of four-wheel drive tractors, 40 granule applicators, 33 rice threshers, 33 rice cutters, 20 portable electric rice mills, 52 portable diesel rice mills, three mini rice mills, and 31 units of multi-purpose seeder. (PNA)
