Marañon turns-over P18.8M farm equipment to farmers

GOVERNOR Alfredo Marañon Jr. turned-over Friday P18,864,000-million worth of farm equipment to various farmers associations in the province at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center.

Marañon said that the farm equipment was acquired through counterpart funds from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Provincial Government.

With Marañon during the turn-over were La Carlota City mayor Juliet Marie Ferrer, Board Members Nehemias Dela Cruz and Salvador Escalante, San Enrique Mayor Mario Magno, provincial veterinarian Renante Decena and provincial agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan.

“Tapping the potentials of agriculture for higher growth and empowering ourselves to meet the challenges ahead of us, the Provincial Government through the Negros First Priority Agenda addresses the identified gaps and concerns in the agricultural landscape of the local communities province wide in consonance with the food security program and in giving emphasis to the attainment of 100 percent rice sufficiency level for the whole province,” the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist stated.

The On-Farm Mechanization Program is a collaborative program of the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Center for Post Harvest Development and Mechnization (Philmech) and the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental to provide mechanization infrastructure and facilities.

The beneficiaries of the program total to 176 registered farmers associations all over Negros Occidental.

Turned over Friday were 10 units of thresher with a project cost of P950,000; 30 units of hand tractors that cost P3.9 million; six units of rice transplanters that cost P1.8 million; 5,740 pieces of laminated sacks that cost P2,870,000, and 272 pieces of collapsible dryers worth P7,344,000.

Marañon said that more projects are coming soon for the Negros farmers. (Teresa D. Ellera)