Fifty farmer cooperatives and associations in Negros Occidental received on Tuesday various production machinery and equipment worth P217 million, in a turnover ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City, as part of the ongoing 17th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival.
Negros Occ. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director for Negros Island Region, Engr. Jose Albert Barrogo, led the distribution of the farm equipment. They were assisted by Board Member Jeffrey Tubola, Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Dina Genzola, and representatives of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech).
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.
PHilMech is the lead agency in implementing the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (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 RCEF Mechanization Program, said a press statement from the provincial government of Negros Occidental.*
