Photo by Timur Kozmenko on Unsplash
Philmech Director for Applied Communications Division Aldrin Badua said that in terms of farm productivity, the government is still aiming to boost the country’s mechanization level from 2.31 horsepower per hectare to 3.31 horsepower per hectare.
“In our calculation, after six years [of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund or RCEF], there will be more or less additional 1 horsepower per hectare [in rice production] by 2024,” Badua said in a virtual briefing Wednesday.
With higher farm productivity, he said production cost is also poised to go down from P12.41 per kilogram (/kg) to P9/kg.
At present,, the Philippines lags behind other rice producing countries in farm productivity with an agriculture mechanization level of only 2.1 horsepower per hectare. This means that more than 16 percent of the farmers’ total production goes to waste due to post-harvest losses.