Claveria farmer-groups receive 2 farm tractors from DA-NorMin
CLAVERIA, MISAMIS ORIENTAL — The Linandang Malagana Farmers’ Association (LMFA) and the Gumaod Coconut Farmers Planters’ Association (GCFPA) each received a farm tractor unit from the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-NorMin) through a turnover ceremony held on October 16 at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Agriculture Development Complex (MOPADC) in Barangay Ane-i, this town.
The newly turned-over tractors are set to benefit 130 farmer-members of the LMFA and 177 farmer-members of the GCFPA.
Funded under the agency’s Corn Program through its Agriculture Machinery, Equipment, and Facilities Support Services (AMEFSS), each unit costs PhP2.9-million will boost farm mechanization efforts across the FCAs’ collective 524 hectares of corn and cassava production areas.
In his message, DA-NorMin Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan emphasized that the initiative is part of the government’s thrust to make agriculture profitable by empowering farmers to mechanize and industrialize their operations with the agency’s support.
“Through farm mechanization, we aim to make agriculture more efficient and profitable for our farmers. The DA will continue to extend various interventions, from transport utilities to agri machinery, including our plan to establish a food processing center here in Claveria as the province’s emerging food basket,” the agri chief said.
Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Misamis Oriental, through Governor Juliette T. Uy, extolled its partnership with DA-NorMin. The PLGU also committed to allocating funds for the rehabilitation and management of MOPADC and providing complementary agricultural support to farmers, especially in the first district, which Uy noted has limited industrial and agricultural facilities.
For LMFA President Virgilio H. Linodhay, the turnover of the tractor signifies a major stride toward more efficient and productive farming for their association.
“Kining tractor dako gyud kay ning katabang sa amoa kay pinakauna, sayon na kaayo ang pag-land preparation sa amoang uma. Dugang pa, sa panahon nga gusto nami magtanum, makatanum nami og dali kay paspas naman ang papreparar sa yuta.
(This tractor is a great help to us as it makes land preparation easier. With this, we can now plant when we want without delay.)
Busa, dako kaayo mi’g pasalamat sa tractor nga gihatag karon sa amoa, kay sauna, daruhon lang gyud sa baka ang among uma. Ikarga lang og motor ang abot, molabay pa sa sapa, mabalintong pa gyud, ug ang mais mabasa nga hinungdan sa pagkadaot, apil napod ang among motor. Ang mag-uuma magsakit pa gyud tungod sa kahago,” the farmer-leader recounted.
(We are grateful for the tractor given to us, as we used to rely solely on traditional plowing by using cattle. Before, we had to transport our harvests by motorcycle, cross rivers, and sometimes even tip over, soaking our harvested corn and damaging both the produce and our motorcycle. Farmers would also end up sick from exhaustion.)
Apart from the disc plow and harrow, the tractor is equipped with a 5-ton capacity trailer.
Linodhay added that during harvest season, transport will become more convenient for them with the tractor’s built-in trailer, ensuring their harvests remain in good condition through improved logistics.
During the event, DA-NorMin, PLGU MisOr, and the FCA presidents signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to formalize the partnership for the use and management of the said machinery. Under the agreement, the FCAs shall formulate operational guidelines and ensure the optimal utilization of the units among their members.
Emphasizing the association’s commitment to sustaining agricultural productivity, GCFPA President Nicasio C. Opon, in an interview, assured to maintain and maximize the use of the machinery for their farmer-members and non-members.
Anchored on the current administration’s agenda to transform the agriculture sector into a more modern and profitable industry, this initiative forms part of the DA’s priority program to enhance farm productivity and competitiveness by equipping organized farmers’ groups in NorMin with modern agricultural facilities and machinery.# (BJCE)
