DA pushes for greater rural mechanization

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing for greater rural mechanization and adoption of new technologies in the countryside to raise agricultural production and farmers' income. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech), which is under the DA, said it aims to promote the use of agricultural technologies in the rural areas to improve agricultural efficiency and protect the livelihoods of farmers, who sustain high losses due to lack of farm equipment and poor facilities. One such technology that could be helpful to farmers is called the grain moisture meter or GMM, the DA said. Moisture readers boost rice productivity Rod Estigo, chief of Philmech's applied communications division, said the agency is urging farmers' cooperatives to go “high-tech" and invest in homegrown moisture readers. Estigo, in an interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, said grain meters are vital in guaranteeing that farmers get the right price for their rice and corn harvests. “This is an objective way to monitor the moisture content of corn and rice. By using (the GMM), farmers won't have to rely on the assessment of traders," he said. Estigo explained that plenty of rice farmers are at the mercy of unscrupulous rice traders who drive down the price by manually evaluating that the grains have a high water content. Farmers who do not have moisture readers could not challenge the assessment and are often forced to accept the low selling price. “Maaring madaya yung magsasaka," Estigo said. The maximum acceptable moisture content for rice, the country's main staple, is 14%. DA-PhilMech Executive Director Ricardo Cachuela said GMMs also helps rice farmers, traders and millers cut their losses during postharvest. Since the moisture meter is more precise compared to the “feel and grit" method which is prone to errors, millers and farmers would know exactly how long the drying process would take, Cachuela said. Self-sufficient rice production by 2013? “If more GMMs will be adopted by small farmers, it could help achieve the vision of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to achieve rice self sufficiency by 2013, since farmers will know how much time their grains need drying, thus reducing postharvest losses," he added. According to the DA's calculations, about 10% of the annual harvests are lost or damaged during the postharvest processes due to poor handling and inadequate facilities. If the government can “catch" these losses, the Philippines would not have to import rice, DA officials said. Estigo said many farmers' cooperatives did not know that there are cheaper GMMs available locally. Locally-made technology Philmech developed its own GMM, a portable handheld device with a digital readout that can instantly and accurately determine the moisture content of grains like palay, milled rice and corn, in 1998. The device was later commercialized by DA-PhilMech with Alexan Commercial, a local firm specializing in the development and distribution of electronic products to industries and consumers. Locally-made GMMs are priced at around P12,000-P13,000, Estigo said. In contrast, imported GMMs cost from $800 to $2,000 —excluding shipping costs and tariffs. Since the launching of the GMM developed by PhilMech in the market in 1998, more than 7,000 units have been sold locally. Cachuela expects thousands more of the grain moisture meters will be bought by farmers within the next one to two years. Engineer Alex Sy, the owner and founder of Alexan Commercial, said the development of the GMM by DA-PhilMech is one of the ways the country can boost its technological capabilities, particularly in agriculture. “It is time we learn from the experiences of our neighboring countries. We don’t mind importing parts initially. As long was we know where to source out cheaper buy quality components. But we need to do our own designs and manufacture the products," Sy said. Rural mechanization DA and Philmech officials said the Philippines' agricultural output would greatly improve if there is a higher use of technology in the rural areas. When Secretary Proceso Alcala assumed office last year, he pledged to focus on building agricultural infrastructure and facilities to increase the yield in the countryside and to make the Philippines self-sufficient in rice by 2013. Because DA's 2011 budget was significantly cut to P38 billion, Alcala ordered the front loading of construction projects like irrigation and tramlines in farmlands, saying these facilities have direct and proportional impact on agricultural output. Estigo said the Philippines, a major importer of rice, has a very low mechanization rate, at .42 horsepower per hectare. Vietnam, a major exporter of rice, has 1 horsepower per hectare. Japan's agricultural lands have a mechanization rate of 7 horsepower per hectare, while China has 5 horsepower per hectare. Philmech said it aims to build 106 tramlines to connect typhoon-prone and conflict-ridden areas to the nearest farm-to-market roads in 2011. There are currently 27 existing tramlines in the country. These systems are located in Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Laguna, Cebu, and Iloilo. The tramline system is a diesel-powered cable system that transports farm produce and farm inputs. It is used to connect production areas in the hinterlands, traversing dangerous ravines or rivers, to the nearest road. It can serve farming areas ranging from 10 to 600 hectares. In a previous interview, Cachuela said: “The economic impact of the tramlines on agriculture communities can never be discounted." Last month, Philmech inaugurated tramlines in Zamboanga province that benefited at least 150 farming households. The tramlines in the upland farming communities of La Paz, Sta. Rita and Sitio Fortunato in Zamboanga significantly reduced the cost and transport time of semi-temperate vegetables from the mountains to the trading centers, Philmech said. In the past, some 80 vegetable farmers in La Paz had to haul their harvest to the nearest road. Philmech said it took them 12 hours to cross the 370-meter distance. With the tramline system, it only took the farmers in La Paz 3 minutes to reach the road to the market. Aside from reducing the transport time, Alcala, who inspected the system last month, said the tramlines also allowed the farmers to preserve the freshness and quality of their produce such as cabbage, Chinese pechay, carrots, banana (latundan), and tomato. It also saved them up to P2 per kilo in hauling costs, for a total of P700 per trip, which they used to pay manual haulers. Alcala said the tramlines will encourage farmers to develop more areas into vegetable farms, and thus provide them a more sustained source of income. The DA Secretary has also asked for modifications in the system, which costs Philmech an average of P1 million per kilometer. Alcala said Philmech should modify the design of the steel carriage to accommodate at least two persons, which could be very useful especially in times of emergencies or illnesses. — TJD, GMA News