Farmers’ Life Easies with Farm Mechanization

“Farm mechanization makes our life easier.” 

Photo Credit: Enrick Tiquil/DA Caraga

This is how Carlito De Paz, president of one of the oldest farmer association in Agusan del Sur, the Boan Barangay Irrigators Development Association Incorporated (BBIDAI) in Rosario, Agusan del Sur described with the advent of mechanizing agriculture. 

BBIDAI was formed way back 1977 started as a group of rice farmers; an irrigation recipient of the National Irrigation Administration, and as time goes by progress into an enterprising association.

With strong leadership, BBIDAI became a recipient of various interventions from the Department of Agriculture.

“We are fortunate that DA provides us various support such as a rice planter, farm tractor, multipupose drying pavement, multipurpose open storage, rice mill with building, warehouse, and combine rice harvester,” De Paz said.

He said that with support of government agencies such as DA, they are now engaged in various services for their 178 members such as marketing, trading, mortgage, savings and loan and agri input provisions.  

“The support of DA really makes our life more convenient especially during harvesting. With the provision of rice combine harvester, harvesting is no longer laborious as compared to manual and it can be done in a faster time,” De Paz explained.

Using the combine harvester, a three-hectare ricefield could be done in just three hours, but in manual harvesting for an average of 10 persons, the three-hectare could be done in a whole day.

Rice farm owners could also save a lot since in manual harvesting, for every 100 sacks of harvested palay, the payment could be 8 sacks for the harvester plus another 8 sacks for the tresher or a total of 15 sacks; while with combine harvester for every 100 sacks of palay harvested, the payment is only 10 sacks. Moreover, palay wastage is only minimal in using mechanization as compared to manual process. 

“Undoubtedly, farm mechanization is a big help for the farmers. We could save time, effort, and money,” De Paz said.

True to its name, rice combine harvester combines basic important job during harvests such as harvesting, threshing and grain cleaning or winnowing and morever, sacking of the harvested palay.

From its income from various services, the association had acquired additional two units of combine rice harvester servicing its members and non-members as well. 

Currently, DA has also established recirculating dryer for the association which soon to be in service. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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Farmer’s Group in Surigao del Sur Receives Farm Machinery from DA Caraga

To help boosts rice and corn production in Madrid, Surigao del Sur, the Department of Agriculture Caraga turned-over various Pre and Post Harvest Facilities (PPHF) in the said town recently.

Photo credit: DA-APCO SDS

In an interview over Bahandi sa Kaumahan radio program, June Anthony Ouano, chief of the Agricultural Program Coordinating Office in Surigao del Sur said that two farmer associations were recipient of the said farm implements, particularly the PABANTABA Farmer’s Association and Upper San Antonio Farmer’s Association.

PABANTABA, a cooperator of a Rice Processing Center in Madrid, received one unit of rice combine harvester, one unit mobile corn mill and one unit rice transplanter while Upper San Antonio received one unit of rice combine harvester.

Ouano said that the turned-over ceremony was a festive occasion as local government officials attended the ceremony headed by municipal mayor Baladay Kimura.

“PABANTABA Farmer’s Association was given the mobile corn mill to help them process white corn into grits as a way of promoting rice corn blend in the locality,” Ouano explained.

Corn is an alternative source of carbohydrates known for its low glycemic index which is ideal to control spike of blood sugar.

On the other hand, Ouano reiterated that government supports are focused on an organized group of farmers.

“Those who are intested to avail government interventions, they should have to be organized and coordinate with their respective local government units through the municipal agriculture office,” he said. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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Caraga Region is Rich in Tuna

Commercial fishing of tuna and processing is one of the potential investment opportunities in Caraga Region.

Visa Tan-Dimerin, the new regional director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Caraga said that the region is rich in high-value fish such as tuna.

“We have abundance of tuna in Caraga Region but bulk of our catch goes to other places in Mindanao where post-harvest and processing centers are located such as in General Santos City,” the director said.

Director Dimerin said that Surigao del Sur is one of the sources of fresh catch of tuna for the tuna processing industry in General Santos.

“Caraga is blessed of various tuna species such as skipjack or commonly called tulingan, yellowfin, bluefin, albacore and other,” Dimerin narrated.

She said that currently there are small-scale processors of tuna in the region for bottled tuna products and semi-processed.

“We are promoting our region to investors to consider Caraga Region particularly in fish processing industry so our local catch would be processed here, since we have abundance of fish,” she said.

The director revealed that Caraga Region posted an 88% sufficiency level of fish, however she said that part of Caraga’s catch has been accounted in another region.

“Based on statistics parameters, accounting for fish is based on landing or where it is being unloaded. So in the case of fresh catch from Caraga Region being unloaded outside the region, the data will be credited to the said area,” Dimerin explained.

Dimerin disclosed that 90% of tuna catch in Surigao del Sur particularly from Bislig area are bound for General Santos tuna processing.

Yellow fin in particular, has been exported to other countries such as in Japan and China, hence cold storage facility is neccessary to maintain its quality and such big facility are located in other region.

To boost the fishing industry in the region, BFAR has been conducting training for the fisher folks, provision of fishing paraphernalia and facility for fish processing, and stringent implementation of fishery laws. 

BFAR is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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