Jonas Reyes

The Philippines has shown it’s support to the agricultural mechanization development of African countries as the country is called called upon to share its best practices.

During the Africa Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (ACSAM), the delegation of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) met with agriculture officials from African countries and discussed the farm mechanization programs of the Philippines

The ACSAM conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations began on 3 February 2026, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and ran through 6 February, which focused on driving the adoption of sustainable mechanization solutions across Africa.

The conference is in line with the goal of eradicating hunger and achieving food security for all.

PHilMech Director Dionisio G. Alvindia led the delegation and affirmed the agency’s commitment to Tanzania and other African countries by sharing its expertise and best practices, particularly in implementing mechanization programs such as the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

This program helped increase the mechanization level in the Philippines from 2.31 to 2.81 horsepower per hectare, reduced labor costs by Php 2 per kilogram, and saved enough additional rice supply from losses to feed 95,000 families annually.

“We at PHilMech from the Philippines are committed to supporting Tanzania and other African countries by sharing technical expertise and best practices to enhance your mechanization efforts, in collaboration with FAO and other partners,” Alvindia stated.

Farm mechanization in the Philippines is advancing, with the PHilMech reporting a national rice farm mechanization level of 2.81 hp/ha as of October 2025.

Driven by the RCEF-Mechanization Program since 2019, the initiative has distributed over 29,500 units of machinery, primarily focusing on rice combine harvesters and tractors to enhance productivity and reduce postharvest losses.

Mechanization, particularly in land preparation and harvesting, has led to increased cropping intensity (two or more seasons), reduced postharvest losses, and lower labor dependency.

Published Date: February 17, 2026