THE Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization, in coordination with the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Pampanga and Department of Agriculture (DA)-Central Luzon awarded farm machineries under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization component to 21 Farmers' Cooperatives and Associations (FCA) from the second, third and fourth districts of Pampanga.
The RCEF or Rice Fund was created under the Republic Act 11203, otherwise known as the "Rice Tariffication Law," in order to improve rice farmers' competitiveness and income amid liberalization of the Philippine rice trade policy that lifted quantitative restrictions on rice imports and replaced it with tariffs, among others.
One component under RCEF is the Rice Farm Machinery and Equipment (with a total allotment of 50 percent). The program aims to raise rice farmers' productivity, profitability and global competitiveness through strengthened access and use of appropriate production and post-production mechanization technologies, which specifically aims to: make accessible to rice farmers the appropriate rice production and postharvest machinery and equipment through to the farmer cooperatives, associations (FCAs), promote among Filipino rice farmers the use of efficient and cost reducing rice mechanization interventions and strengthen local agricultural machinery manufacturing industry through aggressive technology development, fabrication and manufacturing. The lead implementing agency is the PHilMech.
A total of 18 four-wheel tractors, 31 hand-tractors, one precision seeder, one walk behind seeder, two riding-type seeder and three combine harvesters were turned over to the FCA chairmen and officers worth P40 million of machineries.
The event was attended by PHilMech executive director Baldwin Jallorina.