Sixteen municipalities in Pampanga with qualified rice-based Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) received 65 units of machinery grant under the RCEF Mechanization Program during the provincial turn-over ceremony held in Arayat, Pampanga on October 20.
Municipalities in the said distribution included Mabalacat, Magalang, Floridablanca, Guagua, Lubao, Porac, Sta. Rita, Arayat, Bacolor, Mexico, Sta. Ana, San Fernando, Apalit, Candaba, San Luis, and San Simon.
It is expected to benefit around 7,332 the farmer-members of 47 FCA beneficiaries in the said province.
Kapampangans believe that this golden age of mechanization can revive the glorious days of Pampanga as one of the top rice-producing provinces in the country.
“Naniniwala po tayo na sa tulong ng mga makinaryang ito, maibabalik natin ang dating pagkilala sa Pampanga bilang isa sa may pinakamalalaking produksyon ng bigas sa buong bansa,” said Board Member Rolando D. Balingit of the 4th district of Pampanga.
Moreover, Director Baldwin G. Jallorina assured the farmers that the program is corruption-free. He recognized their efforts in securing food for the Filipino people.
“Sinisigurado naming wala pong maibubulsa at lahat ay diretsong pakikinabangan ng mga magsasaka. Ganito namin pinapantayan ang pagsisikap at kasipagan ninyo upang mapakain ang ating mga kababayan at masigurong hindi kami magugutom maging sa kabila ng pandemya. Saludo po kami sa inyong husay at tiyaga,” Dr. Jallorina said.
Meanwhile, the machine grant include technologies from land preparation to milling like the Four Wheel Tractor, Hand Tractor, PTO Driven Disc Plow/Harrow, Precision Rice Seeder, Riding Type Rice Transplanter, Rice Combine Harvester, Recirculating Dryer, and the Multi-Stage Rice Mill.
These machines were procured under the 2021 Funds with the excess funds from the 2019 and 2020 competitive biddings.
Article by Jett Molech G. Subaba