Agricultural machinery expo slated

MANILA, Philippines - Farm cooperatives that are interested in updating their farm equipment or are seeking subsidies for machinery can take advantage of the Makina-Saka 2012 agricultural machinery exposition that will be held from July 4 to 7 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

The expo is a follow-through to the roadshows held nationwide in March to educate farmers on the newest farm production and post-harvest machinery available.

Some 100 exhibitors, 70 of which come from the private sector, will participate in the expo. Most of the private sector exhibitors come from the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing and Distributors’ Association (AMMDA).

The expo will also serve as a venue for networking among farmers’ associations, irrigators associations and other agriculture stakeholders. Some 903 irrigators associations are participating in the show.

A conference for irrigators will also be held on the sidelines of the expo on July 4, to identify current concerns in the agricultural sector and explore available solutions.

Among farm machineries that will be put on display are: hand tractors, four-wheel tractors, cultivators, water pumps, sprayers, transplanters, drum seeders, seed cleaners, threshers, harvesters, combined harvester reapers, drying machines, storage technologies, corn/rice millers, generators, abaca decorticating machines, cassava chipper and granulators, onion harvesters, corn shellers, and food packaging systems.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is targeting to make farm mechanization in the Philippines at par with neighboring countries Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam within five to 10 years.

The Philippines currently has a farm mechanization level of 0.57 horsepower per hectare against a farm mechanization rate of 0.80 hp/ha per in Thailand and Malaysia and 0.70 hp/ha in Vietnam.

Within Asia, Japan and Korea has the highest farm mechanization rate in the region at 7 hp/ha and four hp/ha, respectively.

Under tha DA’s farm modernization program, it can subsidize up to 85 percent of the acquisition costs of farm machineries by qualified farmer organizations and irrigators’ associations. The remaining 15 percent of the acquisition cost can be shouldered by the beneficiaries themselves, their respective local government units or other private entities.