PhilMech distributes 26,412 equipment under Rice Fund; allots P24.9B-fund for procurement

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) has distributed 26,412 farm equipment over the last four years through the mechanization program bankrolled by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, or Rice Fund.

The farm machineries, distributed between mid-2020 and March 3 this year, were delivered to 368 local government units (LGUs) and 6,385 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) with a total membership of almost 1 million individuals.

Meanwhile, the number of procured agricultural equipment totaled 28,817 from the start of the RCEF-Mechanization Program in mid-2019.

Distribution of farm equipment over the last four years translates to a 91.6% delivery rate under the program.

PHilMech has obligated a total P24.9 billion of Rice Fund for the procurement of 28,817 agricultural equipment made up of 14,713 units of land preparation machines; 4,284 units of crop establishment technologies; 8,210 harvesting and threshing equipment; 768 drying technologies; and 842 milling equipment.

“PHilMech has gone a long way in procuring and distributing farm machines to qualified FCAs and LGUs under the six-year RCEF-Mechanization Program. Equally important is PHilMech’s training and capacitation of the FCAs and LGUs that received farm equipment, so they will be able to benefit from the technologies given to them, and operate these for many years,” said PHilMech Director IV and Scientist IV Dr. Dionisio G. Alvindia.

“We at PHilMech intend to finish distributing at least P30 billion worth of farm machines under the RCEF Mechanization Program. These efforts are part of our commitment to ensure food security in the country which is part of the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of the government. Hatid ng PHilMech ang Modernong Pagsasaka para sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas,” he emphasized.

Under RA 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, PHilMech gets P5 billion every year from 2019 to 2024 to distribute various agricultural equipment to qualified FCAs and LGUs. The P5 billion is sourced from tariffs collected on rice imports. All the agricultural equipment distributed by PHilMech under the RCEF-Mechanization Program are in-kind or grants or are at no cost to qualified FCAs and LGUs nationwide. ###