News Details

Negros Farmers’ Cooperatives to Receive Modern Farm Machines Under RCEF 2.0

NPO

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August 20, 2025

BACOLOD CITY – Sixteen farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in southern Negros Occidental are set to receive new agricultural machinery from the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PhilMech) to boost farm productivity and efficiency.

The distribution forms part of the 2025 allocation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) 2.0 Mechanization Program.

Representatives of the beneficiary groups signed a memorandum of agreement with DA-PhilMech during a ceremony held Tuesday at the Bago City Community Center. Recipients come from the cities of Bago and Himamaylan and the municipalities of San Enrique, Valladolid, Binalbagan, and Isabela.

According to Bago City agriculturist Marvin John Blance, the machines—including four-wheel tractors and rice combined harvesters—will be turned over between the second and third week of September.

Blance welcomed the program, saying it would empower rice farmers to be more competitive and resilient in the face of agricultural challenges.

“With mechanization, we reduce the burden of manual labor, increase productivity, and open more opportunities for our farmers to improve their income and quality of life,” he said.

As the top rice-producing LGU in Negros Occidental, Bago City has several recipient FCAs, including the Alianza-Rufina Farmers Irrigators Association, Barangay Bagroy Farmers Irrigators Association, Calumangan Integrated Farmers and Farmworkers Association, Lacbama Hills Irrigators Association, and Sabala Irrigators Association.

Other beneficiaries include organizations from San Enrique, Valladolid, Binalbagan, Himamaylan City, and Isabela, along with the Binalbagan municipal government and the Southern Negros Agrarian Reform Cooperative.

The DA-PhilMech said the program underscores its commitment to strengthening the country’s rice industry through sustainable mechanization and farmer empowerment.

— NPO News Team | PNA-PR