MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA)—Two farmers’ cooperatives from the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Bukidnon recently received a total of P3,193,800 worth of farm equipment from the Department of Agriculture-Northern Mindanao (DA-NorMin).
Milo D. delos Reyes, regional executive director of DA-NorMin led the turnover of one unit farm tractor worth P3 million to the Cooperatiba sa Pobreng Mag-uuma (CoPoMa) of Lantapan town in Bukidnon and another unit of hand tractor worth P193,900 to Pan-ay IPM Kasakalikasan Farmers Association, Inc. of Clarin, Misamis Occidental.
Reyes said that as the Department envisions a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers, they (farmers) should be given better opportunities and resilient technologies.
Juanita Lumalad, CoPoMa chairperson, who eagerly received the tractor’s Turnover Certificate on behalf of the group thanked the government for the grant that will help them reduce labor costs.
“Dahil sa traktor na ito, mababawasan ang gastos namin sa land preparation, kung saan gumagastos kami ng P3,500 pang-renta ng traktor bawat ektarya. (Our land preparation costs will be reduced with this tractor as we currently pay P3,500 per hectare for tractor rental),” she said.
Lumalad said CoPoMa has 38 active members tilling about 500 hectares for corn grain production.
Meanwhile, the Pan-ay IPM Kasakalikasan Farmers Association of Misamis Occidental received a hand tractor as an award for winning the Communal Garden competition organized by the Philippine Association of Agriculturists, Inc.-NorMin Pineapple Chapter and DA-NorMin.
Municipal agriculturist Neptali C. Ambos of Lantapan, Bukidnon, and agriculturist Agnes Gracia Sue S. Butalid of Clarin, Misamis Occidental also graced the turnover ceremony at Northern Mindanao Agricultural Crops and Livestock Research Complex in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City. (DA-10/PIA 10-Bukidnon)
