TUBOD, Lanao del Norte (PIA)–Farmers from the municipalities of Lala, Baroy, Tubod, Salvador, Sapad, Maigo, Balo-i, Munai, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, and Kapatagan, this province are set to benefit from improved food production and income-generation capacity.
This, after the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) turned-over agricultural machinery to farmers cooperatives and associations in Lanao del Norte.
The machinery included 24 four-wheeled tractors, 11 hand tractors, 13 floating tillers, 15 walk-behind transplanter, two riding-type transplanter, two reapers, 18 rice combines, three axial flow thresher with pneumatic tires, and 13 mobile rice mills.
Provincial Governor Imelda ‘Angging’ Quibranza Dimaporo expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Cynthia Villar, and DA PhilMech for supporting the economic development of the province particularly in increasing its rice production.
“I am very much happy that our province was given this opportunity of having those new types of machinery for us to upgrade our farming process. I want to urge our farmers including our Municipal Mayors to use these tools wisely with extra care for these are entrusted to us,” she said.
Meanwhile, DA Undersecretary for Regulations Zamzamin Ampatuan underscored the importance of the machinery in increasing rice production and boosting the agriculture sector in the province.
Ampatuan also urged the farmers to encourage the young generation to venture into agriculture.
For his part, Baldwin Jallorina, Director IV of PHilMech, requested the recipient farmer organizations to properly manage the farm machines given to them by the government. (PIO-LDN)
