DA issues standards on RP-made farm gear

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued new agricultural engineering standards to guide government and the private sector in the design and manufacture of locally produced farm machinery and equipment.

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor signed Administrative Order 10 which directs the adoption of the new Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PAES).

"With the new PAES, tractor and rice mill makers, for example, should comply fully with certain manufacturing specifications to produce farm production machinery and post harvest equipment that truly meet end users requirements and expectations," Montemayor said.

He said the new standards would be the basis to determine if parts, like conveyor belts, gears and other items in an agricultural machinery commonly replaced due to normal wear and tear, are as durable as their makers claim to be.

Montemayor said adopting the new agricultural engineering standards will guide government offices, institutions and agencies and farmers to identify which farm tools and equipment are sub-standard or are of poor quality.

The new PAES consists of three volumes, with the first volume consisting of 35 standards for agricultural production machinery, engineering materials and agricultural infrastructures.

The PAES was developed by the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers, the DA and the University of the Philippines at Los Baños through the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center.

The standards were crafted partly in compliance with the Consumer Act of the Philippines which mandates DA to develop and enforce standards for agricultural products in the same way that the Department of Health is expected to develop and enforce standards for drugs, cosmetics, devices and substances.

Montemayor noted that before the PAES was approved it was circulated to over 50 private and public institutions.

He said the draft standards were then given to the PAES and subjected to a public hearing organized by the National Agricultural and Fisheries Council (NAFC), after which all comments and suggestions were consolidated before the standards were finalized.