In a significant effort to stabilize the sugar industry and restore soil productivity, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) recently turned over more than P27 million worth of farm mechanization machineries and equipment to several sugarcane groups.
In a statement, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona emphasized that “mechanization is no longer a luxury but a necessity for survival in the current sugarcane economy.”
The grant turnover, held at the La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center compound in La Carlota City, is a core component of the SRA’s Soil Rejuvenation Program which seeks to address declining soil health and rising production costs by providing farmers with the logistical power to implement sustainable farming practices through maximization and utilization of sugar mill wastes.
The grant includes heavy-duty vehicles and tractors designed to improve hauling efficiency and field preparation and to support large-scale transport of soil amendments and farm inputs.
The distribution includes five units of dump trucks, granted to five organizations – Iloilo Mill District Development Council Inc.; Capiz Mill District Development Council Foundation Inc.; New Namangka Farmers Association in Mabinay, Negros Oriental; Norphil Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Piat, Cagayan; and Sugarcane Growers Association of Bukidnon Inc.
The Cabungbungan Lingahob Farmers Association received one unit of hauling truck, and the Northern Negros Sugar Development Council Inc. got a comprehensive package consisting one unit hauling truck and one unit farm tractor equipped with complete implements.
“Our goal is to bring the Philippine sugar industry into a new era of efficiency. By providing these machineries, we are directly reducing the physical and financial burden on our farmers. This equipment will allow our partners to implement soil rejuvenation techniques at scale, ensuring that our sugarcane fields remain productive for the next generation of sugar farmers,” Azcona said.
Ma. Lourdes Almodiente, deputy administrator for research development and extension, highlighted the scientific importance of the grant, emphasizing that mechanization is the backbone of the agency’s extension efforts.
“These tractors and trucks are not just vehicles, they are tools for soil rejuvenation. It will enable the proper application of organic amendments and the timely execution of farm activities, which are critical to reversing soil degradation and thereby improving sugarcane productivity,” Almodiente said.
SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson, the planters’ representative, said the grants will have a direct impact at the grassroots level and will empower the sugarcane planting community.
“This is a win for our planters. Access to this level of machinery empowers our farmers to be more independent and cost-effective. We are committed to ensuring that the voices of the planters are heard and that the resources of the SRA are utilized to make farming a more viable and profitable livelihood for everyone involved,” Sanson said.
The SRA’s Soil Rejuvenation Program remains a cornerstone of the agency’s roadmap toward self-sufficiency.
SRA aims to reduce the industry’s heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers, focusing instead on restoring the natural fertility of the soil utilizing sugar mill wastes to ensure a resilient and sustainable sugarcane sector. ||
