The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) wants manufacturers and suppliers of farm machines in the Philippines to start offering agricultural equipment that comply Tier 3 and Tier 4 emission standards.

This, as a study from PHilMech shows that Tier 3 engines produce up to 65 percent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to Tier 2 engines. Furthermore, Tier 4 engines produce up to 80 percent less carbon dioxide compared to Tier 2 engines.

PHilMech Executive Director and Scientist IV Dr. Dionisio Alvindia said that while there are still no emission standards set by the government for various farm equipment using fuel-fed engines, companies that manufacture or supply agricultural machines in the Philippines should take the initiative to offer products that comply with Tier 3 and Tier 4 emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States.

“Machines are one of the significant polluters of the environment. The time to respond to and mitigate climate change is now as tomorrow may be late,” Director Alvindia said.

He also lauded companies that currently offer agricultural equipment, both locally manufactured or imported, that comply with the Tier 3 and Tier 4 emission standards of EPA.

“More and more farmers are beginning to appreciate the advantage of mechanizing their operations, and I attribute this to the successful implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Mechanization Program from 2019,” Director Alvindia said.

“And with many individual and organized farmers now acquiring farm machines on their own, I believe that suppliers of agricultural equipment in the Philippines should offer machines that comply with the Tier 3 and Tier 4 emission standards of EPA,” he added.

“Furthermore, we are responding to calls by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to push for ‘green’ measures and mitigating and adapting to climate change,” Director Alvindia said.

Based on a study conducted by Engineer Edgar Flores of PHilMech, upgrading from Tier 2 to Tier 3 could result in substantial reductions in emissions at 52.28 percent for nitrogen oxides (NOx), 64.52 percent for carbon monoxide (CO), 66.67 percent for particulate matter (PM), and 65.34 percent for carbon dioxide (CO2).

Also, upgrading to Tier 4 engines could lead to even further reductions in emissions, with NOx emissions decreasing by up to 73.33 percent, CO emissions by 74.19 percent, PM emissions by 96.67 percent, and CO2 emissions by 80.65 percent. These clearly show the positive environmental impact of using farm machines with Tier 3 and Tier 4 engines.

“The findings suggest that there is a need for measures to reduce the emissions of these pollutants. One approach could be to encourage the use of cleaner and more efficient engines with lower emissions,” Engineer Flores said.

Besides distributing various types of farm machines to qualified farmers cooperatives and associations, and local government units under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Mechanization Program, the agency also trains the recipients/beneficiaries to properly operate and maintain the equipment given to them.

Such steps have resulted in more farmers seeking to mechanize their operations. With that, PHilMech sees the local demand for farm machines being sustained even with the RCEF-Mechanization Program lapsing in June 2024.

Director Alvindia said such a scenario should encourage manufacturers and suppliers of farm machines to start offering products that have less polluting emissions. He added that the current fuel products offered in the Philippines already comply with the latest emission standards in Europe.

For example, petroleum companies in the Philippines now offer fuel products that comply with Euro 4 standards, while there are a few planning to offer Euro 5-compliant fuel in the future.

Farm machines used in the Philippines usually have engines with one to four cylinders, and mostly ran on diesel. Much of the engines powering the farm machines in the Philippines also come from areas that have strict emission standards, like Europe and Japan.