The mechanization program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) will soon benefit farmer-members of cooperatives from the 17 towns of Antique.
The budget for mechanization will be sourced from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) as mandated under Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law.
Fifty percent of the RCEF will go to the mechanization program; 30 percent for seeds; and 10 percent each for credit and training and extension services.
Rhomelita C. Alonsagay, focal person of the agricultural infrastructure at the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) in Antique, said in an interview Wednesday the target recipients are farmers’ cooperatives from 17 towns of the province, except the municipality of Caluya.
“The national government is supporting the farmers through their cooperatives by providing them with mechanization so they could become competitive also with the liberalization of rice importation,” she said.
Through the RCEF mechanization program, she said a farmers’ cooperative in Antique can at least avail of P5 million grant for its needed technologies such as agricultural tractors, farm tillers, rice seeders and many more.
She added the RCEF mechanization program staff has already interviewed the cooperatives on August 27 and October 23-24. Among those interviewed were heads and members of farmers cooperatives from Anini-y, Tobias Fornier, Belison, Hamtic, Sibalom, Patnongon, Bugasong, Barbaza, Tibiao, Culasi, San Jose de Buenavista, San Remigio, Valderrama, Laua-an, Pandan, Libertad, and Sebaste.
They are currently in the process of complying with the documentary requirements of Letter of Intent to the RCEF Mechanization Program, valid certificate/registration from any recognized government agency, and farmer association profile.
“Since the RCEF Mechanization Program will be for six years beginning this 2019, then there will be one cooperative in each of the 17 towns that will be a recipient of the technology every year,” she said.
Alonsagay said that only the island municipality of Caluya was not included because of its distance. (PNA)