News Details

P3.3-M equipment to cut Apayao farmers' production costs

NPO

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March 22, 2025

PNA

BAGUIO CITY – The provincial government of Apayao on Friday said the assistance recently provided by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to farmers will help cut the cost of crop production and ensure higher gains.

“Malaki ang maitutulong nga mga ganyang supply galing sa gobyerno para sa mga magsasaka dahil mapapabilis ang pagtatanim at pagharvest nila ng pananim, at magiging cost effective din dahil mas liliit ang mga bayarin sa pagtatrabaho sa taniman (Supplies provided by the government to the farmers will definitely help in fast-tracking planting and harvesting, and also make it cost effective due to the decrease in the cost of production),” Apayao Governor Elias Bulut Jr. said in a private message to the Philippine News Agency.

The DAR said in a media release on Friday that it recently turned over a total of PHP3.3 million worth of farm machinery and equipment to six agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Apayao in a bid to improve the condition of the farmers.

The agency said the support is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to uplift the lives of Filipino farmers.

The distribution benefited 175 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) belonging to the six ARBOs-Cajoma Multipurpose Cooperative (CAJOMA MPC) of the municipality of Pudtol; Sta. Lina ARB Association Inc. (STARBA) and Cagandungan Marag Valley ARB Association Inc. (CAMAVARBA) of the municipality of Luna; Mallig Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (MUFA) of the municipality of Flora; Guina-ang Community Development Agriculture Cooperative (GUICOMDA); and Mawigue Proper Farmers Association, Inc. (MPFA) of the municipality of Conner.

Bulut said their province is highly agricultural, with focus on rice, corn, and some fruits and vegetables.

“Iyong pag prepare na lang ng lupa bago magtanim kapag na-mechanize malaking bagay para sa farmers natin (Tilling the land alone before planting can be done is a big help to the farmers),” he said.

Bulut said the assistance has proven that a cut in the cost of production helps farmers increase their monetary yield, which their families can use for children's education, and for medical and other basic needs.

The DAR distributed heavy-duty hand tractors, tractors with rotavators, tractor-mounted corn seeders with trailers, stand-alone corn seeders, water pumps, knapsack sprayers, rotary tillers, and brush tillers.

Aside from increasing productivity, these advanced tools aim to mechanize farming operations and reduce the physical labor of farmers.

The DAR statement said the initiative was implemented under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP), which helps ARBs and small-holder farmers adopt modern agricultural technology, innovative farming techniques, and essential skills training to ensure sustainable agricultural production.

A large number of rice farmers in Apayao are also contract growers of the National Irrigation Administration program Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM), where their produce is sold to the government, which, in turn, sells the grains to marginalized sectors of the community at PHP29 per kilogram.