A TOTAL of 128 irrigators’ associations composed of thousands of farmer-members in Negros Occidental will receive P15 million worth of farm equipment and facilities on December 14.
The National Irrigation Administration-Negros Island Region Irrigation Office (NA-NIRIO) will host the distribution rites at their headquarters in Bago City.
The project dubbed “Purchase of Farm Equipment and Machineries and Operationalization of Rice Processing Center,” is funded by the provincial government of Negros Occidental through grants and donations.
It will be implemented in collaboration with the NIA regional office here.
The farm machineries mainly include 50 units of hand tractor with engine, 50 units of thresher with engine, four units of rice mill, one rice cart trolley, one unit of heavy duty weighing scale, and five push carts.
Recipient-associations will also receive 50 units of pump and engine with suction for mobile irrigation, 10 units of motorized grass cutter, and 10 units of knapsack sprayer, among others.
The project also covers the installation of electrical and water systems for the rice processing center located at Barangay Bagroy, also in Bago City.
The processing center was provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the Federation of Irrigators’ Association Central Negros (FIACN).
NIA-NIR, in a press statement Tuesday, said the modernization of farming technology equips the province in efficiently increasing its rice production.
“Strongly supporting the national goal of staple food self-sufficiency program of the government, our local farmers have been striving for an easy access to efficient and effective farming approaches,” it added.
Project proponent Rosemary Caunca, president of the League of Government-Assisted Federation of Irrigators’ Associations in Negros Occidental (Legafiano), said the project is anchored on the government’s initiative in helping local farmers generate more income.
Caunca, also provincial consultant for inter-local government alliance for agricultural productivity, stressed the need to further enhance the farmer-leaders’ capability and aspire others for innovation.
“Our government has a lot of programs for the people thus, we need to strategize our approach to earn what is due to the public,” she added. (EPN with reports from PNA)