DA assures continued support for farm mechanization

MANILA, Philippines - As the Department of Agriculture completes the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) of the recently-signed farm mechanization law, it assures local manufacturers and traders of farm machineries of continued support from the government.

During the recently-held Pangasinan leg of the Makina-Saka farm machinery exhibits and roadshow, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala urged local manufacturers to produce agriculture machineries and after-sales services suited to the needs of Filipino farmers and entrepreneurs.

He told farm machinery manufacturers that they are “vital partners” in the country’s pursuit of food self-sufficiency.

“We may be behind in mechanization but this is a challenge for us to improve and develop our own machineries that will serve farmers well. The DA is your partner in this,” he told stakeholders attending the roadshow.

Alcala urged manufacturers to improve post-harvest facilities to enable the Philippines to attain a mechanization level of three horsepower per hectares by 2016 from the current 1.23 horsepower per hectare.

The Philippines still imports most of its farm machineries.

President Aquino signed in June the Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Law (Afmech) which is intended to improve farm mechanization in the country to support the country’s food staple sufficiency goals.

Among the salient points of the law is the implementation of a five-year National Agri-Fishery Mechanization Program during which the groundwork for the development of a farm machinery manufacturing industry would be laid down.

The DA aims to finish the IRR by the end of the year.

Pending the implementation of the law, the DA is implementing a cost-sharing scheme with cooperatives wherein the government shoulders 85 percent of the cost of farm equipment and the qualified farmer organization shoulders the remaining 15 percent.