AS part of its 48th anniversary celebration, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) distributed at no cost 15 hauling trucks and two utility vans to qualified cooperatives and local government units (LGUs) covered by the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan-Shared Facilities for Processing (CFIDP-SFP).
“The activity is part of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan-Shared Facilities for Processing that aims to strengthen support for coconut-based cooperatives by providing them with additional equipment for their operations,” PhilMech said in a Facebook post.
The 15 hauling trucks cost P32.17 million at the two utility vans cost P2.62 million were distributed last May 25 at the PhilMech headquarters in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
According to PhilMech, the SFP program is a critical component of the CFIDP, established under Republic Act 11524 (the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act). The program provides qualified community-based enterprises and LGUs with equipment and infrastructure to transition smallholder coconut farmers from relying solely on copra production to producing higher-value coconut products.
