The Philippine Center for Posthavest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) is in the process of bidding and acquiring another batch of farm machines worth P3 billion.
Once the awarding for the contracts will be completed in December this year, PHilMech will have completed the bidding and awarding of contracts for P10 billion worth of farm machines from late 2019. Under the Rice Tariffication Law or Republic Act 11203, PHilMech will be given P5 billion from annually from 2019 to 2024, or a six-year period, to fund the granting of farm machines to qualified farmers cooperatives and associations (FCAs) nationwide.
“The bidding for various farm machines worth P3 billion started on September 19 by making available the bid documents that was followed by pre-bidding, evaluation of bids and awarding of bids. The awarding of bids will be done in December this year,” said PHilMech Executive Director Baldwin Jallorina.
The types of machines to be bidded under the P3-billion batch are four-wheel tractors, combine harvesters, reapers, seeders, hand tractors, transplanters, floating tillers, rice mills and threshers.
Like the bidding and acquisition for the first batches of farm machines worth P7 billion, PHilMech will conduct the one for the P3 billion latest batch of farm equipment in the most transparent manner, with the process from pre-bidding to awarding of bids beamed live over the agency’s Facebook page.
“Even the opening of the pre-bid documents and official bids are done live over the agency’s Facebook page. This is how transparent PHilMech is in conducting the bids and aquisition for the equipment to be distributed under Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Mechanization Component,” Jallorina said.
As for September 2, PHilMech has so far distributed 1,029 pieces of farm machines to qualified FCAs. These are: 171 four-wheel farm tractors; 128 hand tractors; 235 floating tillers; 52 precision seeders; 35 walk-behind transplanters; 118 riding type transplanters; 35 reapers; 241 combine harvesters; and 14 mobile rice mills.
Article by PHilMech communications group