The Department of Agriculture in the Soccsksargen Region (DA-12) turned over Thursday PHP78 million worth of agricultural machinery to 31 farmer organizations in this province.

DA-12 Regional Director Joel Dator and North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza led the ceremonial rites at the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist grounds in this city.

The project was subsidized under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund which aims to improve rice farmers’ competitiveness and income.

The farm equipment includes two-hand tractors, 25 floating tillers, nine four-wheel tractors, seven riding-type transplanters, nine walk-behind transplanters, eight combine harvesters, six recirculating dryers, six mobile rice mills, and three single-pass rice mills.

Beneficiaries of the farm equipment are 31 farmers’ cooperatives and associations coming from different towns in the province that were thoroughly evaluated by the DA-12.

Dator said the pieces of machinery could help farmers achieve significant yield increase, and save up to 5 percent drying losses, 3 percent milling losses, and 2 percent post-harvest losses.

Mendoza, in her message, expressed her firm support for the program in vying for interventions that could uplift the lives of farmers.

She also asked the DA-12 to gather accurate data to impose appropriate actions and interventions.

“There should be no table surveys because we should have the proper identification of beneficiaries, timely delivery of fertilizers, and proper formula to achieve our goal of improving the lives of these farmers,” she said. (PNA)