Farm mechanization to increase production in Philipine

To catch up with other Asian Countries’ farm mechanization level and make farms more profitable, the Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to raise the mechanization level of farms in the country to more than two horsepower per hectare (hp/ha) in the next three years. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), DA’s attached agency tasked to lead the development of the post-harvest industry, said that the need to promote farm mechanization is very vital since the level of mechanization in the Philippines is at 1.2 hp/ha, which is way behind other Asian countries which have mechanization level of 2.7 hp/ha.

For that purpose, the DA is replicating the agricultural machinery road shows dubbed “Makina Saka 2013” in major island clusters for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao aimed at gathering the latest agricultural machinery in the market to raise the level of mechanization in the country in support of the food self-sufficiency program, particularly the National Rice Program which has a Rice Mechanization component.

About 2,000 farmer leaders and advocates from Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, and CAR participated in the recent five-day Luzon-wide “Makina-Saka” or Agri-Machinery Roadshow hosted by the province of Pangasinan. Farm machines like tractors, rice transplanters, mechanical harvesters, multi-pass rice mills, and other production and post-production technologies were displayed and demonstrated by members of the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association, Inc. (AMMDA), other local farm equipment manufacturers, government institutions and other DA agencies.

The event helped farmers decide on which machines to adopt for their farming activities. It included discussions on the government’s farm mechanization program such as land preparation technologies, state of mechanization in the Philippines, machinery manufacturing distribution and regulation efforts, and programs and financial analysis of various mechanization and post-harvest facilities. Machines were introduced so that farmers can see that production using modern equipment is higher than when farmers use traditional farming modes.

We congratulate the Department of Agriculture headed by Secretary Proceso J. Alcala and its Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization headed by its Executive Director Rex L. Bingabing in their continued efforts to empower the agriculture and fishery sector by increasing resource-use efficiency and productivity adding value to the produce through research, development, and extension in our Republic of the Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

source: tempo