Fifty farmer cooperatives and associations in Negros Occidental received various production machinery and equipment worth a total of P217 million, in a turnover ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol, yesterday (Nov. 19), as part of the ongoing 17th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival.
Negros Occ. Gov. Bong Lacson together with OIC Regional Executive Director of DA – NIR Engr. Jose Albert Barrogo, Board Member Jeffrey Tubola, OIC Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Dina Genzola, and guests from PHilMech led the turnover activity.
The beneficiaries received four-wheel tractors, hand tractors, rice combine harvesters, riding-type transplanters, walk-behind transplanters, floating tillers, power take-off (PTO)—driven disc plows, levee makers, recirculating dryers, single-pass rice mills, and multi-stage rice mills.
The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) is the lead agency in implementing the RCEF, which aims to raise rice farmers’ productivity, profitability, and global competitiveness by strengthening access to and use of appropriate production and postproduction mechanization technologies.
It is funded under the 2022 – 2024 fund source of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.*
