Post-harvest agency builds 3 tramlines in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) has completed the construction of three new tramlines in Mindanao which will greatly benefit tribal and indigenous communities who rely on vegetable farming for their livelihood.

The tramlines which were completed in the last quarter are located in the municipalities of Maragusan and New Bataan in Compostela Valley, and in Barangay Kapatagan, Digos City in Davao del Sur, all upland farming communities.

Each of the three tramlines has a length of at least one kilometer and cost at least P1 million to construct.

PhilMech executive director Ricardo Cachuela said the tramlines in Maragusan (Compostela Valley) and Barangay Kapatagan (Davao del Sur) would benefit members of the Mansaka tribe who have gone into vegetable farming, while the tramline in New Bataan (Compostela valley) would benefit the Mandayaw tribe.

 “With the new tramlines, the tribal communities engaged in vegetable farming in the three localities now have a stronger link with their markets because the new tramlines will make it more efficient for them to transport their vegetables to the trading posts,” Cachuela said.

The major markets for vegetables grown in the three localities are Davao City, Cagayan de Oro and other major urban centers in Mindanao.

Before the tramlines were constructed, the only way to transport vegetables from the uplands to the trading posts was through human labor or horses and the cost was at least P50 for one large basket (kaing).

With the new tramlines, the cost has been reduced to P10 to P15 per large basket. Importantly, too, post-harvest losses have been reduced from around 20 percent to five percent.

 “The economic impact of the tramlines on agriculture communities can never be discounted,” Cachuela said.

The three newly finished tramlines in Mindanao is part of the more than 100 tramlines that PhilMech will construct in various farming communities nationwide. Philmech is attached to the DA.