TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Department of Agriculture continues to beef up the production capacity of farmers with the provision of rice program interventions aimed to modernize farming methods and ease the burden of farming.
Provision of farm machineries does not only increase production and income but farmers productivity and in the long run, strengthens their role as main actors towards food security and poverty alleviation.
This year, the agriculture department through its regional field office in the Cordillera distributed in batches postharvest machineries for its mechanization program including financial assistance.
About 13,575 Kalinga farmers registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture received financial assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) Program.
Recipients of financial aid are 1,310 farmers from Balbalan; Tabuk City – 5,286; Lubuagan – -747; Pasil – 849; Pinukpuk – 2,427; Rizal – 986; Tanudan – 1,133; and 837 from Tinglayan.
Twelve farmer cooperatives and associations and three local government units were recipients of postharvest machineries from PhilMech, which were awarded on Nov. 18.
Awarded with one four-wheel tractor each are Cawagayan Farmers Association in Pinukpuk, Kapayapaan Liwan West Farmers Irrigators and Pacak Farmers Association, Pagsayaatan Credit Cooperative, and Tanggal SWIP Small Impounding Dam Association.
The groups that received one four-wheel tractor PTO Driven Disc Plow/Harrow are the Green Hills Stewards and Farmers Association, Cabaruan Multipurpose Cooperative and Matagoan Agricultural Cooperative.
Kin-Iway Dagupan Farmers Association received one harvester; Binongsay Malin-awa Savings and Loan Cooperative – three units of rice harvester, San Pascual Agricultural Farmers, Rizal – two hand tractors, and Dakaran Credit Cooperative – one thresher rice mill.
The recipient LGUs are Balbalan with one hand tractor impeller rice mill, Lubuagan – one hand tractor, and Tinglayan – one hand tractor and rice mill.
DA-PhilRice also conducted provincial technical briefing and seed distribution kick-off at the Capitol gym and awarded seed allocation for 2022 dry season per municipality.
The DA-RCEF earlier recognized Kalinga as one of the most outstanding provinces in the implementation of RCEF-SEED Program.
The province achieved 100 percent seed delivery targets and distributed at least 90 percent of the delivered high-quality certified seeds. – Peter A. Balocnit
