MANILA, Philippines – Pinalakas pa ng Department of Agriculture (DA) ang pamamaraan ng mga magsasaka sa kanilang paghahanpbuhay sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng libreng makinarya at kagamitan.

Sinabi ng Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) na may 682,502 magsasaka sa buong bansa ang recipients ng Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund’s (RCEF) Mechanization Program “as of December 2021.”

“Our goal is to reduce the production cost of rice farmers so they can save up some for their savings and other farm needs. These (pieces of) machinery, which are given by the government for free, are meant to make the farmers’ lives more convenient, work will be faster, and there will be more yield compared to manual or traditional way of farming,” ayon kay PhilMech Director Dionision Alvindia.

Aniya pa, bumili ang kanyang tanggapan ng 19,542 makinarya. Sa nasabing bilang, 16,167 makinarya na ang kanilang naipamahagi.

“We just need to clarify that while these are free, we call on the farmers to please join groups as we prioritize farmer cooperatives and associations as beneficiaries of the program,” dagdag na pahayag ni Alvindia.

Ang mga ‘accomplishments’ aniyang ito ay bunsod ng nilagdaang batas na Republic Act No. 11203 o Rice Tariffication Law noong 2019. Layon nito na tiyakin ang “food security” at gawing “viable, efficient and globally competitive” ang sektor ng agrikultura sa bansa.

Ang batas aniya ang siyang lumikha sa RCEF o Rice Fund para mapabuti ang competitiveness at income o kita ng mga rice farmers sa gitna ng liberalisasyon ng Philippine rice trade policy na binawi ang quantitative restrictions sa rice imports at pinalitan ng taripa.

Ang RCEF ay mayroong P10 billion annual appropriation para sa anim na taon, inilaan at ipamamahagi ito sa 4 na components o bahagi kabilang na ang Mechanization Program na mayroong 50% shares sa kabuuang budget. (Kris Jose, Remate)