ABUYOG, Leyte-Many years ago no one even imagine that a one-stop shop Technology Management and Demo Center that will feature various farm equipment and machineries (of all sizes and shapes) could be set up right here in Eastern Visayas or Region 8.
But today, local farmers here couldn’t believe that the impossible suddenly became possible. All because something very significant happened inside the Abuyog Experiment Station in Balinsasayao, Abuyog, Leyte.
Unknown to many, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Dev’t and Mechanization (PhilMech), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was silently constructing its own satellite office inside the DA Research Station in this part of Region 8.
In close collaboration with DA-RFO 8, PhilMech started a big leap by way of building a P3 million-worth of Technology Management and Demonstration Center fully furnished and equipped with various kinds of farm machineries that any progressive farmer right away wants to possess or use as his or her own.
Earlier today, said infrastructure project, including a wide range of farm machineries have been inaugurated or launch as part of the annual observance of Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month Celebration.
The launch has been spearheaded by a team of agricultural engineers of PhilMech led by its Deputy Director Raul R. Paz, who incidentally hails from Carigara, Leyte.
Accordingly, said facility will afford farmers the opportunity to gain access to information and technology services, with the ultimate end of commercializing PhilMech-invented postharvest and farm processing equipment or machineries.
On the part of the DA-RFO8, Farmer Director Inocencio Morallos who was introduced by Dr. Andrew Orais, Chief, Field Operations Division, stood in as the Keynote messenger.
Morallos lauded PhilMech for the realization of this project which is one of the top priorities aggressively pushed by DA Secretary Manny Piñol amidst the issues/challenges with the enactment of the Rice Tarrification Law this year.
“We, the farmers in the region, are very grateful to the gov’t thru Secretary Piñol for the sincerity and dedicated services being accorded to us farmers in Region 8,” the Farmer Director addressed these words to the PhilMech staff who had helped put up the said facility.
Meanwhile, Board Member Emmanuel Gacis of 5th District of Leyte, representing Governor Mic Petilla, also gave thanks to DA and PhilRice in bringing the farm technologies closer to home. “We will continue to support projects that could help push the level of food production, productivity and income of our farmers which are also in accord with the provincial thrusts and priorities,” gushed BM Gacis.
(FRANCIS ROSAROSO/PR)
