SANTIAGO CITY—Manual rice planting will soon be a thing of the past in this premier city of Cagayan Valley, or Region 2.
“As part of this city’s agricultural modernization program, mechanical rice planting will be introduced to all of our local farmers this cropping season,” said Santiago City administrator Perla Buencamino.
Introduced by Kubota Agro-industrial Machinery Philippines, the 4.3-horsepower SPW-48C mechanical rice planter was recommended as an ideal model that could suit the city’s terrain. The gasoline air-cooled engine-operated machine has a prevailing price of P420,000.
The machine plants four rows at 30 centimeters in between with adjustable planting distance that ranges from 12 cm to 21 cm, depending on the rice variety.
Inbred varieties require about 40 kilos of seed stock, while 20 kilos are required on hybrid stocks per hectare at a minimum of 150 grams per seedling tray.
At least three seedlings are required per hill on inbred varieties against one seedling on hybrids.
“We expect a maximum yield because in terms of labor cost, the machine delivers an equivalent of eight to 12 persons doing the job with lesser margin of errors because of adjustability and precision planting,” claimed Buencamino.
For large-scale farmers who cultivate a minimum of 10 hectares, the planting equipment is seen to provide tremendous advantage over the manual method of rice planting.
“The rice planter can plant 1 hectare in six hours, or 1.5 hectare a day,” said Kubota Product development manager Diosdado Garcia.
Cauayan City, Aurora and Cabatuan towns, all rice-growing municipalities in Isabela, have shifted to mechanical rice planting.
“We are glad that this rice-planting innovation has reached our city because it is the only way we could buy time, since it cuts short precious hours spent by our local farmers on manual planting,” said Buencamino.
Like other cities and towns, the city government, through its agriculture office, is expected to purchase some units for local farmers to use with a minimal fee.
The machine has four grips that plant three times faster than the conventional manual method, or an equivalent of eight to 12 persons planting at the same time.
After successful trials on rice planting, farmers here are expected to experience the performance of a harvester and thresher combined.
“The answer to that is the DC-60 harvester-thresher combo, which automatically threshes on the spot as it reaps rice crops from the field,” said Garcia.
The only drawback seen as a result of eventual mechanization of rice production in the city is the virtual unemployment of manual rice planters.
IN PHOTO -- WATCHED by local farmers at a farm in Rizal, Santiago City, city administrator Perla Buencamino test-drives a mechanical rice planter during a product demonstration. The gasoline-operated machine plants eight to 12 times faster than the conventional planting method. --LEONARDO PERANTE II
