DA-NorMin turns over PhP2.57-M hauling truck to Baungon-based farmers’ coop

 

BAUNGON, BUKIDNON – In pursuit of boosting corn and cassava production while reducing postharvest losses at the same time, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) turned over a PhP2.57-million (M) hauling truck to the Mabunga-Imbatug-Salimbalan District Multipurpose Cooperative (MISAD MPC) on July 4, in Brgy. Patpat, Imbatug, here.

Funded under the FY 2024 Agricultural Machinery, Equipment, Facilities and Infrastructure Program of the Corn Program, the 5-metric ton capacity truck is designed to help the coop address their long-standing challenges in transporting their produce – high hauling fee costs and limited availability of transport vehicles.

MISAD MPC chairperson Sarah Tabian received the project on behalf of the 137 farmer-membered coop, which cultivates 100 hectares of yellow corn and 150 hectares of cassava, with 100 hectares identified for potential expansion.

Out from their existing production area, they record 4 to 8 tons per hectare for yellow corn under the rainfed ecosystem, and 40 tons per hectare for cassava.

The provision of the hauling truck supports President Marcos’s vision of achieving food security and transforming agriculture into a productive and profitable sector. It directly contributes to one of the key goals of improving and expanding local market access; thereby, enabling farmers to transport their harvests more efficiently, reach a broader network of buyers, and ultimately, augment their income and livelihood.# (JLO)