CALAPAN CITY – A locally-invented rice seeding machine in Oriental Mindoro could help cut farming costs by up to P9,000 pesos per hectare, offering hope for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal of lowering rice prices nationwide.

The Palatak Palay Seeder, developed by Mindoro native engineer Delfin Cuevas Jr., mechanizes the labor-intensive process of rice planting and has already shown promising results in initial trials.

In a September 2024 demonstration at a government test farm in Calapan City, the machine helped produce 1,200 kilograms of palay from a 1,200-square-meter plot – generously exceeding farmers’ expectations.

“The harvest was a winner. I’m going to try Palatak,” said Roberto Tumala, one of the farmers who witnessed the demonstration.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has backed the project, providing technical and financial support to help commercialize the technology.

The agency has distributed 19 units to Calapan’s three largest rice-producing communities.

The machine’s focal innovation lies in its ability to plant partially germinated seeds directly into the soil, reducing labor costs from about P10,000 pesos per hectare to just P1,000 pesos, according to its inventor.

“This project has had a positive impact on our farmers here,” said Cuevas, who developed the prototype using a 3D printer after returning from three decades of work abroad.

The technology comes as President Marcos Jr. seeks solutions to stabilize rice prices, which he cited as a major issue in his July 2024 State of the Nation Address.

If successful on a larger scale, the Palatak system could help boost production in the country’s major rice-growing regions, which include Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Western Visayas, which together produced nearly 9 million metric tons of palay in 2023.

The DOST said it plans to expand the technology’s implementation as part of its Smart and Sustainable Communities Program, aiming to modernize farming practices across the country.

Photo: Courtesy of DOST Mimaropa