At least eight farmers’ associations here have received PHP5 million worth of farm machinery as part of the sustainable livelihood program of the local government.
Mayor Carmen Geraldine Rosal and City Agriculture Office (CAO) chief Shiela Nas led the distribution of farm equipment to the recipient farmers on Tuesday at the Legazpi Expo building adjacent area to the Legazpi City Convention Center.
In an interview on Wednesday, Rosal said the city government has allocated PHP5 million to purchase the farm equipment requested by the members of the city’s farmers’ associations to lessen the labor cost for land preparations and improve productivity, particularly the harvest of palay.
She said the distribution of agricultural types of machinery would help them improve their daily living conditions and strengthen the city’s agricultural industry.
“This is only the first batch distributions of the farm equipment and we will again provide other types of machinery that would be given to the next batch who have not yet received the machines,” she added.
Rosal said she will also provide additional palay seedlings and fertilizers to be distributed for free to the farmers.
Distributed to the farmers were eight hand tractors with trailers, 10 palay threshers, six greenhouses, eight mini-cultivators and eight flat-bed dryers.
The recipients were the Sitio Danlagan Banquerohan Irrigators Association, Barangay San Francisco Irrigators Association, Mabinit Farmers Association, Bigaa Farmers Association, Pawa Farmers Agricultural Cooperative, San Jose Farmers Irrigators Association, Maslog Farmers Association and Buyoan Farmers Association.
Meanwhile, in Daraga town, Honey Beth Majadillas, municipal information officer, said 1,358 farmers from 54 barangays received fertilizer under the National Rice Program of the Department of Agriculture.
“One sack per beneficiary, they can choose if complete or urea fertilizer. They are the farmers who are included in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture,” she said in an interview. (PNA)
