Villar opens training program on mechanization of rice production

Sen. Cynthia Villar welcomed participants to the training program on mechanization in production of rice at the Villar Sipag Farm School in Bacoor, Cavite.

Held in partnership with the Department of Agriculture Regional Office 4-A and the Philippine Center for Post harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), the 2-day seminar will teach participants safety measures in farm operations and the use of farm tools and equipment such as hand tractor, 4-wheel tractor, manual seeder, rice transplanter, irrigation pump, solar pump, among others.

"We are introducing this module on rice machinery operations to help our farmers switch to the mechanized way of farming. Mechanization will help our farmers reduce the production cost of palay and improve their productivity," Villar said.

The 25 participants coming from the University of Rizal- Tanay Campus, Laguna State Polytechnic University-Siniloan Campus, Cavite State University- Indang Campus, and UP Los Banos, will also undergo hands-on training on rice land preparation and rice crop establishment.

Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, also encouraged the different farm schools and learning sites all over the country to conduct training on rice machinery operations and help disseminate knowledge on mechanized farming techniques.

"The lifting of import quotas on rice would put local farmers at a disadvantage and we have been working double time to put up measures that will help farmers compete against the cheaper produce of Thailand and Vietnam," Villar said.

The Nacionalista Party senator said she is putting up rice schools to teach our farmers how to mechanize and how to produce seeds that will provide greater yield at 6 metric tons per hectare.

In the rice tariffication bill she is sponsoring, a P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund sourced from the national budget will be created to bankroll programs designed to improve farmers' productivity.