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DOST seals agreement for Pinoy-made diesel engine for farming

DOST-6 photo

A limited manufacturing agreement was recently signed for the first Filipino-made diesel engine for farming.

The 12-horsepower single-cylinder diesel engine (SCDE) was developed by the Department of Science and Technology–Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC), Supercast Foundry and Machinery Corp. in Valenzuela, Metro Manila, and RU Foundry and Machine Shop Corp. owned by Bacolod City businessman Ramon Uy.

“Being able to manufacture our very own prime mover diesel engine, we level up our agro-machinery sector and of course, more importantly, boost the productivity and profitability of our farmers and fisherfolks,” Rowen Gelonga, DOST Region 6 director, said during the recent virtual signing.

As an agricultural country, the Philippines has been relying on imported engines to support its agro-industrial requirements, he said, adding that these engines are used to provide power to hand tractors, water pumps, driers, and other farm machinery.

The DOST-MIRDC designed and developed the prototype of the said machine and was evaluated through actual field testing as a prime-mover of a flatbed dryer, hand tractor with 125 percent payload, and water pump, he said in a press release.

The prototype test results at the Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) showed that it achieved and exceeded the standard performance conditions comparable to the leading brands of commercial engines of the same power rating, he added.

The project partnership includes the fabrication of 20 units of 12HP SCDE and the testing of its applicability to and compatibility with the existing farm machinery under actual farm conditions in various locations in the country, DOST said in the press release.

The project offers free commissioning of several units to be deployed, and one unit is set for testing by the Central Philippines State University in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

The technology will also be integrated into various agricultural machinery and aims to promote, market, and advance the 12-hp SCDE into a marketable product that will generate profitable business for local equipment fabricators, Gelonga said.*

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