BUTUAN CITY – A group of rice farmers here has recognized the importance of government intervention through mechanization and the use of high-yielding varieties, which they consider as key factors in achieving high agricultural production and income.
Since 2014, members of the local Baan Integrated Farmers Association (BIFA) received a total of PHP6,221,600 worth of farm machinery and equipment in a chain of distribution activities by the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13).
On Thursday, BIFA chairperson Edwin Alwag narrated how the mechanization program of the government, coupled with the introduction of the use of high-yielding rice varieties has changed the lives of the members of the group.
“Our organization has a total of 130 members covering around 260 hectares of rice farmlands in Barangay Baan,” Alwag said in an interview.
Among the farm machinery and equipment the group received were tractors, rice transplanters, harvesters, water pumps, and solar and mechanical dryers.
BIFA member Marivic Garcillano said mechanization and the use of hybrid seeds increased her rice farm's harvest.
"Before, my 1.5-hectare area usually yielded around 120 bags per hectare, but with the new technology and machinery, my harvest now reaches 216 bags per hectare,” she said.
Garcillano said that other BIFA members of their organization also experienced high yields after utilizing new technologies and machinery provided by the government.
Winefred Alwag, another member, pointed out how the solar and mechanical dryers they received provided them with an advantage in processing harvests for the market.
"Previously, a task that took one week to complete in the field can now be finished in just one day. We used to have to wait for the sun to dry the rice, but now, with the mechanical dryer, we can process 100 bags of rice in just one day.," Alwag explained.
Properly dried rice products are sold at higher prices in the market, providing additional income to their members, he said.
Meanwhile, DA-13 said BIFA is now considered the cornerstone of mechanized farming in the city, with the group also earning extra profit through a rental business for the machinery they own.
“Generating profit from this endeavor while simultaneously offering the services at a much lower rental price can help small-scale farmers from other areas access the equipment they need.,” DA-13 said. (PNA)
