BANGA, South Cotabato — The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) South Cotabato has strengthened its agricultural support for local farmers after officially acquiring two new agricultural mechanization units intended to accelerate crop harvesting operations across the province.
According to Raul D. Teves, DVM, Provincial Agriculturist, the provincial government introduced these dual-purpose harvesters to directly address the evolving machinery needs of local farmers and optimize crop yields across all municipalities.
“Our main priority for these units is to support our ongoing consolidated farming program, ensuring our farmers can harvest efficiently while reducing operational delays.” Dr. Teves said.
The newly acquired equipment, Kubota DC-70 Pro PH, a combine harvester equipped with rice cutter header and corn header, is specifically procured to expand and strengthen the province’s consolidated farming operations.
Purchased using funds from 2026 Local Development Funds (LDF), these combine harvesters are built for efficient rice and multi-crop harvesting in local field conditions and feature a dual-capability design that allows operators to easily switch mechanisms, making them suitable for harvesting both corn and rice crops.
Under the province’s operational scheme, OPAg provides heavy equipment, transports the machinery to the target fields, and assigns trained equipment operators at no cost to the farmers.
“The requesting farmer cooperatives are only required to shoulder the fuel expenses needed for the machine’s operation during their scheduled harvesting period.” Dr. Teves added.
The latest procurement adds to the province’s existing fleet of five rice harvesters, further boosting South Cotabato’s Farm Consolidation and Mechanization System to minimize crop loss and raise local farm productivity.
