Philmech to put up more agri tramlines

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Center for Post Harvest and Mechanization (Philmech) intends to complete the construction of 32 new agricultural tramline systems (ATS) in various regions this year to help raise farmers’ incomes through lower transportation cost and less post-harvest loss.

The new tramline systems, which are due for completion by August this year, would be built in mountanious and hilly farming communities such as those in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region 3 (central Luzon) and Region 2(Cagayan Valley).

The Department of Agriculture has allotted a budget of P96 million from its 2012 budget to build the tramlines. It would cost about P3 million per kilometer.

An ATS usually stretches from 800 meters to one kilometer and has a capacity to transport between 350 to 500 kilograms of goods.

The project, which was started last year, aims to lower the transportation cost of high value crops and other farm goods and reduce the average post-harvest loss rate to only five percent from a high of 25 percent.

Philmech executive director Rex Bingabing said that in areas where there are already existing tramline systems, farmers have expanded their production areas.

The construction of tramlines in some areas have also contributed to the socio-economic well-being of households because of higher incomes.

A total of 97 ATS have been completed from 2009 to 2011 at a cost of P2 million per kilometer.

These ATS were also primarily intended for the transport of farm produce but have also been used to transport people and various commodities.

Bingabing said that the new tramlines, which would be more expensive to build, owed be of higher quality that those previously built.

“The objective is to increase the safety of the new tramlines,” he said.

The 32 new ATS are seen to have a lifespan of 15 years without needing much repairs.

The tramlines, like the ones before it, would be operated either by local  govenrment units or farmers cooperatives. The revenues from fares would be used for repairs and to sustain the operations of the lines.