Negrense farmers from the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Bacolod, Silay, Victorias, Sipalay, and Himamaylan, and the towns of Murcia and E.B. Magalona attended the Advocacy Campaign and Demonstration of Crop Establishment Technologies at Negros Residences in Bacolod City today, which aims to increase the utilization rate of crop establishment technologies such as the mechanical rice transplanters and rice precision seeders.

The participants are beneficiaries of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program who will learn from experienced farmer-experts through a farmer-to-farmer approach.

The techno-demo is part of the campaign dubbed “ Makinaryang Pantanim: Push na ‘Yan sa Palayan!” which is a collaborative project of the extension and operations of the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech).

Among the identified reasons for low utilization rates of farming technologies include difficulty in the adoption the appropriate seedling preparation, lack of technical knowledge in operating the machine, and disinterest of the farmers on the use of the machine due to planting distance.

Gov. Lacson thanked the Department of Agriculture and PHilMech for intensifying the campaign on adopting crop establishment technologies among RCEF beneficiaries.

He also acknowledged all stakeholders and supporters of the provincial government’s Food Security and Agricultural Productivity programs through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist led by Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Dina Gensola.

OPA Record shows that PHilMEch has already delivered 220 units of the machinery from 2019 to 2024, which include the Rice Precision Seeders (RPS), Walk-behind Transplanters (WBT), and riding-type transplanters (RTT) in Negros Occidental.*#AbanseNegrense