The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) turned over agricultural machinery to 194 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) and local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon.
The initiative is under the second phase of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program.
The machinery included two units of four-wheel drive tractors and 20 units of combine harvesters.
The units distributed to farmers in Central Luzon are part of the 228 machinery worth P497 million set to be delivered throughout the region this year.
The remaining units will be distributed directly to beneficiaries through the PHilMech Luzon A Cluster’s onsite delivery.
Among the provinces set to benefit from tractors and combine harvesters are Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.
From 2019 to 2024, PHilMech distributed 3,726 units of machinery worth P4.2 billion in the region under the implementation of RCEF Phase 1.