NEW EQUIPMENT. Adela Farmers Association of Camotes Island has received a PHP384,000 worth of two multi-cultivator tillers from the Department of Agriculture on Thursday (Aug. 27, 2020). Through these machines, the farmers will no longer use the manual method of farming or using carabaos to cultivate the land. (Photo courtesy of DA-7)
CEBU CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Central Visayas has turned over two multi-cultivator tillers worth PHP384,000 to the Adela Farmers Association (ADELFA) in the municipalities of Poro and San Francisco in Camotes Island, located east of mainland Cebu.
These multi-functional machines are used for weeding, hilling up, double-row tilling, and furrow farming.
The DA is distributing this type of machinery to assist farmers in their farm labor, expand agricultural development, and enhance the overall food production of the region.
DA-7 director Salvador Diputado said through these machines, the farmers will no longer use the manual method of farming or using carabaos to cultivate the land.
“It’s the mandate of Secretary William Dar to make sure that the support of the government will be directly given to the farmers and provide their needs in order to improve their farming practices and livelihood,” Diputado said in an interview on Saturday.
Justiniano Cantuja, ADELA president, thanked the DA for being one of the chosen associations that benefit from the project. The farmers' group currently has 35 active members.
“I am thankful to our Agriculture Secretary William Dar for providing us machineries to make our work more convenient and faster compared to our traditional way of farming,” he said.
Before the turnover ceremony on August 27, the DA-7 also conducted a briefing on the operation and maintenance of the said machine.
Mayor Alfredo Arquillano of San Francisco shared his deep appreciation to the DA for the assistance received and committed a 200-hectare area for rice production using the excess water from Lake Danao in the town.
These projects are implemented under the DA-7's High Value Crops Development Program in cooperation with the local governments of Poro and San Francisco in Camotes Island. (PNA)
