Agriculture secretary Manny Piñol pays visit on the agriculture equipment that has been idle and rusting inside the department’s compound in South Cotabato.
(Photo courtesy: Manny Piñol’s Facebook page.)
SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — Several modern agriculture equipment worth 100 million pesos have been discovered idle and rusting inside the agriculture department’s compound in Tupi, South Cotabato.
They were discovered when Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol visited the place last Monday.
Some of the equipment include a tractor that has been stalled for more than a year and a rice and corn harvester brought about four years ago which amount to millions of pesos per unit.
Piñol says the equipment were not delivered because farmers were asked to pay the 15% of the equipments’ amount before they could use it.
It was said that the previous administration agreed to shoulder 85% of the equipment’s worth.
The Secretary has ordered an auditing of the fund for the project.
Some of the equipment will undergo rehabilitation and repair before being delivered to the farmers.
The former regional director in the area was immediately relieved after Piñol assumed as the agriculture secretary.
The issue is being investigated to identify the liable officials who will be held responsible of the purchase and failure of delivery of the said equipment
Piñol said, production in the past years could have increased if the equipment were distributed in time for the use of the farmers.
(REY PELAYO/UNTV NEWS & RESCUE)
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