Arlan Mangelen, Department of Agriculture-Region 12 executive director. (PNA GenSan file photo)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed on Thursday around PHP140 million worth of agricultural machinery to farmers in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) as part of flagship farm mechanization program.
Arlan Managelen, DA-Region 12 executive director, said the release of the additional farm machinery is part of the agency’s continuing interventions to help increase productivity and improve the plight of local farmers in the region.
He cited the need to sustain local food production in the wake of the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
The machinery was formally turned over to qualified farmers’ cooperatives and associations during a mass distribution ceremony on Thursday at the DA-12’s Research and Experiment Station in Tupi town, South Cotabato.
Mangelen said the bulk of the assistance, worth around PHP94 million, was released by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) under the mechanization component of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
He said these include four-wheel drive tractors, precision seeders, walk-behind and riding type transplanters, reapers, combine harvesters and mobile rice mill.
The regional office also distributed some PHP46 million worth of machineries, comprising threshers, seed spreaders, hand tractors, transplanters, floating tillers, corn shellers, corn mill and coffee pulpers, he said.
“This was funded under DA’s banner programs,” Mangelen said in a statement on Friday.
He cited the agency's expanded rice, corn, high-value crops and organic agriculture programs, which are being implemented in the region's four provinces and five cities.
Soccsksargen comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and North Cotabato, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
Mangelen said the machinery will directly benefit more than 4,000 farmers from parts of the region, including those in far-flung areas. (PNA)
