North Cotabato farmers receive P1.2-M post-harvest facilities

Members of two farmers’ organizations in North Cotabato received post-harvest facilities with the combined amount of Php1,210,000.00 from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to boost the agricultural products of farmers in this province.

The facilities, distributed under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP), consist of 4-units of rubber sheets hang-dryers given to Banisilan Rubber Farmers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative of Banisilan, and a unit of corn sheller for Kitubod Farmers Association of Libungan.

CRFPS aims to build the resiliency of agrarian reform communities nationwide to enhance and sustain the agricultural productivity of farmers’ organizations, by increasing their yield and income to uplift the lives of its members.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Evangeline Bueno said the rubber sheet hang-dryers and corn sheller are designed to address specific post-harvest challenges faced by these farmers.

“We provide our farmers with interventions that elevate their operational efficiency and quality of produce while addressing the pressing challenges in adapting to climate change," Bueno said.

Banisilan Rubber Farmers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative Manager Marvin Nadala said that with this new facility, they can now have an additional 90 tons of drying capacity per month which will make their rubber sheets dry more uniformly and quickly.

“This will also enhance the quality of our rubber and make it more competitive in the market,” he added.

Similarly, the Kitubod Farmers Association, which has long struggled with the labor-intensive process of shelling corn, expressed optimism about the new equipment.

"This corn sheller will save us countless hours of manual work and increase our productivity. It is a game-changer for us, enabling us to process more corn efficiently and focus on expanding our farming activities," said Association President Miguel Tomarlas.