One of the most crucial factor in attaining rice self-sufficiency in the country according to the Department of Agriculture (DA) is the implementation of its Farm Mechanization Program.
The DA's Farm Mechanization Program aims to further increase the productivity and income of the farmers while helping them become an "agri-preneurs" and less dependent on intensive labor in crop production.
For the last three years, farmers who have availed of the program are very thankful to the DA for giving them the necessary intervention that will not only provide higher incomes and profit but also giving them the sense of responsibility and pride in helping their co-farmers improve their farming techniques.
One of the farmer-recipients of DA's Farm Mechanization Program in Ilocos Region is Mr. Maximo "Max" Rabanal of Brgy. Pantay-Daya in Vigan City Ilocos Sur, a proud farmer for 40 years now. The Pantay-Daya Farmers Organization where he is the President was a recipient of a 4-W Drive Tractor under the Agri-Pinoy Corn Program utilizing the counter-parting scheme.
Under the Implementing Guidelines on the provision of the farm machineries to viable cooperatives and farmers organizations, DA shoulders the 85 percent of the total machinery cost while the 15 percent is paid by the association.
Prior to the provision of the equipment, Mg Max's group persevered to meet all the requirements in availing of the projects by sending their letter of intent together with the Board of Resolution from the Cooperative to authorize the group to enter into a contract with the Department of Agriculture and a certification on the availability of a counterpart fund for the said equipment. His group has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office I through the DA-RFO's Regional Executive Director Valentino C. Perdido and the Local Government Unit of Vigan City.
With the provision of tractor to their association, Mg Max said that his colleagues now enjoy planting rice every cropping season for they no longer wait on the availability of tractor for rent in their area.
"Kapag kailangan nila ang tractor, kahit anong oras ay naka-ready na para magamit dahil sarili na namin ito," Mg. Max said.
According to Mg Max, it takes him and his farmers group around three days to plow their one-hectare field using carabao-driven equipment. But with the presence of the tractor that they have acquired from DA, plowing their field takes only a day, thus making their work faster, easier and more efficient.
In previous years, Mg Max and his members usually rented tractor for a minimum of P1,200.00 per hour or depending on the proximity of their areas. But today, his association members now enjoy lesser fee compared to the usual payment of tractor for rent available in their area.
With the income of the association from the rental of their tractor, the members have now evolved into farmer-entrepreneurs. With a desire to fully mechanize their farming activity, the association is hoping to avail the combined harvester which could also be availed from DA.
Under the leadership of Mg Max, the association was also able to avail other farm equipment like water pump and rice thresher which has ultimately provided the association members greater awareness on the advantage of using farm machineries to ease their burden during planting as well as in harvesting their produce.
Having all these farm machineries and equipment for Mg Max's association, they are now considered as among the major contributors in the attainment of last year's average productivity level of 3.9 mt/ha. in rice during wet and 4.22 mt./ha during dry cropping season as well as 5.65 mt/ha. productivity level in corn in the province of Ilocos Sur. With this, the Province is able to sustain its more than 100% sufficiency level on all crop commodities making Ilocos Sur as one of the finalists in the National Corn Achiever's Award sponsored by the Agri-Pinoy Corn Program Directorate.
It cannot truly be discounted how DA’s assistance contributed to the upliftment of the lives of each member’s of Mng Max’s association, including himself. Mng Max alone have succeeded in transforming his family’s lifestyle from a “struggling to survive” way of life to a life of comfort, all because he now have time to do more in his farm while spending less given the benefits of the Farm Mechanization Program that has responded to the vital needs of most farmers. # Source – www.da.gov.ph
No comments:
Post a Comment