BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (PIA) – Farmers in Nueva Vizcaya recently received various farming equipment from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to enhance agricultural productivity in the province.
Recipient-farmers include members of the Sanguit Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Aritao Irrigators Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Women’s Garlic Onion Growers Association Inc.
These Nueva Vizcaya-based cooperatives, the Tapao Agriculture Cooperative in Quirino province, and the Paraiso United Farmers Association in Cagayan province were all part of the program.
The farmers’ cooperatives received agricultural equipment worth over P10.3 million, sourced through the DA Regional Field Office 02’s High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), funded under the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
Distributed farm equipment included a P1.6 million 4-wheel drive tractor and four hauling trucks valued at over P2.1 million. The equipment was officially turned over at the Southern Cagayan Valley Research Center Annex in Barangay Maguirig, Solana, Cagayan.
DA Regional Technical Director Kay Olivas encouraged the cooperatives to embrace the equipment provided fully.
“We hope you see this as something that meets your needs, not as an imposition. Many others are in need, and you are fortunate to have been chosen,” she said.
Carol Albay, HVCDP program coordinator, urged the cooperatives to use the equipment in line with DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.’s directives, which focus on increasing yield, productivity, and income generation. She also emphasized the importance of inclusivity, particularly for women members, in utilizing the equipment.
“If women members are willing and capable of operating the machinery, they should be given access,” she said. (OTB/BME/PIA Nueva Vizcaya)
