MUÑOZ SCIENCE CITY, Nueva Ecija – High technology and top-of-the-line farm equipment from China will be on display alongside their Philippine-made counterparts at the Phil-Sino Agro Machinery Expo 2004 starting December 6 at the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilsCat) lobby in this city.

Around 208 agricultural machines from the People’s Republic of China (PROC), previously tested in PhilsCat hybrid-rice demonstration farm, were found ideal for local farming. They included wheeled tractor and rice transplanter.

The Philippines has invited exhibitors from the Chinese agricultural machinery industry through the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors Association.

The Ministry of Agriculture of PROC, on the other hand, has selected and organized about 12 Chinese companies to exhibit over 40 units of agricultural machinery.

Joshue Falla, PhilsCat executive director, said, “Farming in the Philippines is mainly small scale with a lot of labor inputs so that small-scale agricultural machines from China suit well to the local conditions and to the rural economic situation”

The week long event will usher in the promotional component of the PhilsCat agricultural engineering and mechanization program.

“It shall also strengthen the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and Filipino agricultural machinery manufacturers,” Falla said.

The event will also serve as a venue for the planned farm-machinery networking between the Philippines and PROC. It will cover training, sales and maintenance of agricultural machinery.

The exposition will also highlight actual demonstration and seminar presentation, which will give and opportunity for both Chinese and Filipino experts to present the development of agricultural machinery industry in the two countries.

The Chinese farm equipment that will be showcased will be donated to the Philippine government, it was learned.