Pangasinan farmers celebrate with a new farm tractor from DAR

Members of the Sitio Mapita High Value Crop Growers Association (SMHVCGA), Inc. listen attentively to the farm machinery mechanic and operator (in green shirt) as he explains the basics of operating a rotovator.

AGUILAR, Pangasinan—Famers here are happy to start the year with expectations of bountiful harvests after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) turned over a 4-wheel drive tractor to the farmer-members of Sitio Mapita High Value Crop Growers Association (SMHVCGA), Inc.

Just this week, half a dozen men crowd around a bright orange farm tractor as a mechanic and farm machinery operator teach them the basics of using a rotovator. The members of the SMHVCGA will soon become full-fledged operators who will lead this community-based farm machinery rental enterprise in their sitio.

The 4-wheel drive tractor provided by DAR under the DAR's Climate-Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS).

The men then take turns in operating their organization's tractor, motivated to begin the year with an enterprise that will be the first in Mapita.

DAR Assistant Regional Director Ma. Anna Francisco, who is also the Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer of Pangasinan said 50 members of the cooperative will directly benefit from the farm tractor.

The officials and some of the members of the Sitio Mapita High Value Crop Growers Association.

“The tractor would not only increase their farm production, but it would also add income to their cooperative,” Francisco said.

“Higher farm yields would help increase the cooperative’s income, which would eventually contribute to ensuring enough food supply in the community,” Francisco added.

On that same day, the cooperative led a simple thanksgiving rite under the sturdy roof of a shelter that they constructed to house the farm tractor that they had received from the DAR.

The SMHVCGA, Inc. is one of the five agrarian reform beneficiary organizations in Pangasinan that each received a 4-wheel drive farm tractor under the DAR's Climate-Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project. Members who are agrarian reform beneficiaries also received a unit of stainless knapsack sprayer, high-germination-rate seeds, insecticides, and fertilizers to jumpstart this year's planting season. The CRFPS had a fund of ₱6.24 million which benefitted 250 farmers, including those of Sitio Mapita.

Mga magsasaka sa Pangasinan nagbubunyi dahil sa bagong traktora mula sa DAR

AGUILAR, Pangasinan— Masaya ang mga magsasaka dito sa pagsisimula ng taon na may inaasahang masaganang ani matapos ibigay ng Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ang isang 4-wheel drive na tractor sa mga miyembro ng magsasaka ng Sitio Mapita High Value Crop Growers Association (SMHVCGA), Inc.

Ngayong lingo lamang, kalahating dosenang lalaki ang tinuruan sa pagpapatakbo ng rotovator ng traktora. Ang mga miyembrong SMHVCGA ay malapit nang maging ganap na mga operator na syang mamumuno sa negosyong ito na nakabatay sa komunidad sa pagpapaupa ng makinaryang pangsaka sa kanilang sitio.

Ang mga lalaki ay naghalinhinan sa pagpapatakbo ng traktora ng kanilang organisasyon, bilang inspirasyon upang simulan ang bagong taon sa isang negosyo na magiging kauna-unahan sa Mapita.

Sinabi ni DAR Assistant Regional Director Ma. Anna Francisco, na siya ring Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer ng Pangasinan, 50 miyembro ng kooperatiba ang direktang makikinabang sa farm tractor.

"Ang traktora ay hindi lamang magpapataas ng kanilang produksyon sa sakahan, ngunit ito ay magdaragdag din ng kita sa kanilang kooperatiba," sabi ni Francisco.

“Ang mataas na ani ay makapagpapalaki ng kita ng mga kooperatiba na sa kalaunan ay makatutulong din sa pagseseguro ng mapagkukuhanan ng pagkain ng lalawigan,” dagdag pa ni Francisco.

Noong araw ding iyon, pinangunahan ng kooperatiba ang isang simpleng seremonya ng pasasalamat sa ilalim ng isang silungan na kanilang ginawa upang paglagyan ng traktora ng sakahan na kanilang natanggap mula sa DAR.

Ang SMHVCGA, Inc. ay isa sa limang agrarian reform beneficiary organizations sa Pangasinan na bawat isa ay nakatanggap ng 4-wheel drive farm tractor sa ilalim ng Climate-Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project ng DAR. Ang mga miyembro na benepisyaryo ng agrarian reform ay nakatanggap din ng isang unit ng stainless knapsack sprayer, high-germination-rate seeds, insecticides, at fertilizers para simulan ang panahon ng pagtatanim ngayong taon. Ang CRFPS ay mayroong pondo na ₱6.24 milyon na nakinabang sa 250 magsasaka, kabilang ang mga magsasaka sa Sitio Mapita.