Agriculture Dept. allots P300M for tramlines

(Updated 6:51 p.m.) The government has allotted at least P300 million to establish 106 agriculture tramlines in 10 strategic regions, an agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday. "We hope farmers will be relieved to know that more agricultural tramlines will be established in the country’s strategic regions," Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization executive director Ricardo Cachuela said in a statment. The tramline systems are expected to reduce by half post-harvest losses by speeding up the delivery of farm goods to markets. These will be established in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Central Visayas, Zamboanga, Northern Mindanao and SOCCSKSARGEN. Cachuela said the initiative is in partnership with the DA Regional Field Units (DA-RFUs), farmers’ groups, and local government units. “The tramline system is applicable to large clusters of farms in mountainous areas or vast plains that traverse rivers or ravines. Its main benefit is reducing transport costs and post harvest losses, at the same time ensuring speedy and timely delivery of farm products," Cachuela said. The Philippines is an agricultural country, but most of its farms are underdeveloped with crops and other agriculture products and inputs transported by carabaos, horses and other beasts of burden. Often, produce is hauled manually by farm laborers over vast distances and mountains that make most farms vulnerable to post-harvest losses of up to 20 percent. In the case of farms found in mountainous Benguet, the country’s main vegetable producer, farm produce need to be transported over rivers and ravines. "If we can't transport or sell our produce in the market, it will serve as viand for our family or left to rot in our farm," said Celestino Tagtag, a member of the Sapu-an Farmers Association in Tublay, Benguet. The association stands to benefit from the creation of a modern tramline system in the province. ‘‘The tramline is a great help. We no longer need to pay haulers to carry our farm products and inputs. It is cheaper and faster, and ensures on-time delivery of our farm products," Tagtag said. The new tramline system will expand the 27 tramlines now operating in Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Laguna, Cebu and Iloilo, the DA said. It will also modernize the transport of farm produce from far-flung areas to nearest roads, reducing post-harvest losses to 16-18 percent from 28-42 percent and ensuring the timely delivery of farm products, Cachuela said. Tramlines, powered by a diesel engine, hauls farm produce and inputs and can serve farmlands ranging from 10 to 600 hectares. To fund the tram system, farmers will pay fees to cooperatives, businessmen, or fellow farmers operating it. The fees will be used for the maintenance of the tramline. The average tramline system, which spans 500 meters, costs P1.6 million, Cachuela said. PhilMech, a DA attached agency, was formerly the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension based in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. — DM/VS, GMANews.TV