A rice harvester amounting to P685,000.00 was recently released to members of the Mabuting Pangkabuhayan Association during a simple handover ceremony through the Department of Science and Technology Region IX (DoST-IX), thru its Provincial S&T Center in Zamboanga del Sur (PSTC-ZDS) that is seen to improve their operation. The use of the harvester aims to address problems such as labor shortage, harvest schedule delays, and low farmer revenue. Through the mechanization of their operations, the farmers will speed up the processing time and greatly improved produce quality. Present during the handover were the association members led by President Bobby Dillera, and PSTC-ZDS personnel led by Provincial S&T Director Engr. The harvester was acquired under the project titled, “Roll-out of Science, Technology and Innovation of Locally Developed Combine Rice Harvester to Enhance Rice Farm Productivity”, that was locally funded and developed through the agency’s local Grants-in-Aid (GIA) program.

Source: Manila Times May 13, 2021 16:52 UTC