VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) – The provincial government of Ilocos Sur has finished distributing 245 rice mill machines to the farmers' associations in the province.
The last batch of machines was turned over on Tuesday to the farmers’ associations of 12 municipalities namely: Alilem, Cervantes, Gregorio Del Pilar, Quirino, Sugpon, Galimuyod, Salcedo, Nagbukel, Suyo, Sinait, Caoayan, and San Juan.
Provincial Agriculturist Erlinda Baltazar said these machines were provided to the beneficiaries in response to their requests to the provincial government to help them face various challenges, especially those from far-flung barangays.
“Ti kangrunaan a naikkan kadagitoy a rice mill machine ket dagidiay farmers’ association iti adayo a barangay tapno saanda masapulen ti agbiyahe ti adayo nga agpabayo ti irik,” Baltazar said.
(The machines will assist the residents of far-flung barangays by eliminating the need to travel long distances to have their rice crops milled.)
She added that additional equipment and/or machinery are set to be distributed in the first quarter of 2024 to respond to the farmers’ requests for assistance and help them with their challenges.
The first batches of machines were turned over by the provincial government in October and December 2023, which included various farm inputs, machinery, and equipment.
As one of the municipalities in the province with the most numbers of geographically isolated and disadvantaged area (GIDA) barangays, Victoria Sumagca, municipal agriculturist of Sugpon town, expressed her gratitude to the provincial government for its unending support and provision of assistance to the farmers in their municipality.
“Agyamankami ti kinaimbag ti provincial government ta uray pay no adda kami iti sulsulinek ket adda latta maited kaniami a tulong ken uray no agkur-kurang kami ti request ket mabingbingayan-kami latta ken siyempre ti local government unit-tayo, amin dagitoy ket saan nga ag-prosper no awan ti convergence,” Sumagca said.
(We thank the provincial government for consistently including our farmers and residents in its provision of assistance. The government always fulfills our needs, even when we don't request it. We are especially grateful for the support of our local government unit, as our community cannot prosper without this kind of collaboration.)
She added that the rice mill machines are most effective during the rainy season as residents may borrow the portable machines to mill their crops at home.
“Lalo daytoy barangay Licungan, kaadaywan a barangay iti Sugpon ken saan a madanun ti lugan. Adda metten kiskisanda, iso a diay dua nga immuna a naited kaniada ket kunami nayunan-mi tapno ti kasta ket manayunan daydiay pagpabaywanda,” Sumagca added.
(One of the recipients of the rice mill machines is the residents of barangay Licungan, which is the farthest barangay in Sugpon and is unreachable by car. Although they do have a rice mill facility there, and the first two portable rice mill machines we have given them, we consider the geographical location of the barangay and the challenges they face there.) (JCR/AMB/JMCQ, PIA Ilocos Sur)
