CEBU, Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar said it is time to embrace the new era of agriculture.
Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on food and agriculture, said that we have to do this by adopting mechanization such as using transplanters, harvesters and dryers.
The lady senator said that young people nowadays no longer want to plant crops but instead go to the cities and opt for employment.
"Wala na nga tao gusto magtanim. Ayaw na nang mga kabataan na magtanim na manual. Wala ka nang makukuhang mga bata, they go to cities and get employed. Kaya tamang-tama yung mechanization. This is another era of agriculture. Iwanan na natin yung dating era of agriculture," said Villar, who was in Cebu the other day as guest speaker of the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc.'s 65th National Convention.
The convention was attended by sugar planters, sugar millers and officials in the sugar industry.
"Our concerted efforts and collaboration are crucial in ensuring the further growth and development of the sugarcane industry, I am glad that Philsutech is very participative in ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry. Let us continue working together to realize our shared goals for our country and countrymen," said Villar in her speech.
Villar further said that when we talk of change and improvement, farm mechanization really plays a big part.
"Mechanization and how the Philippine sugarcane industry can use it to be competitive in the global market should always be a priority. It will help solve many of the problems encountered by the industry brought about by low production, lack of manual labor, and outdated farming practices," the senator said.
Villar said that she is a staunch supporter of incorporating research and development (R&D) in the agriculture sector, which will also help improve agricultural mechanization efforts. She said that two of the barriers confronting farmers, fisherfolks and agricultural workers are lack of technical expertise and mechanization.
Villar said that along with other government agencies and organizations, we should focus on working together towards breaking down those barriers especially we are in the midst of a regional economic reintegration under the ASEAN Economic Community or AEC.
She added that the Philippines actually started late in our mechanization efforts, only five years ago, while our Asian neighbors started mechanizing their farms over three decades ago (in the 1970s), which means we have a lot of catching up to do.
According to Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), the country's level of mechanization is at 1.23 horsepower per hectare (hp/ha), behind our Asian neighbors: Japan was at 18.87 hp/ha, Korea at 9.38, and Thailand at 4.20 hp/ha.
The Department of Agriculture and PhilMech was hoping to bring the country's mechanization level to 3 or 3.5 hp/ha.
"We hope, with our concerted efforts, we can improve our standing because it will be very beneficial to the agriculture sector in particular. Mechanization can significantly bring down the cost of labor particularly for labor-intensive crops such as rice, corn, and sugar. Those equipment and mechanized procedures/process will increase your production," Villar said.
She further said that the Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization Law or AFMECH in general help promotes the development and adoption of modern, appropriate, cost-effective and environmentally safe agricultural and fisheries machinery and equipment to enhance farm productivity and efficiency to achieve food security and increase farmers’ income. (FREEMAN)