𝙁𝙂𝘿 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣

A focus group discussion (FGD) was held in URC SURE CARSUMCO, Brgy. Sto. Domingo, Piat, Cagayan last August 20, 2025. The participants were representatives from different block farms, planter’s association/cooperatives, URC SURE Cagayan Robina Sugar Milling Company (CARSUMCO), and Sugar Regulatory Administration – CARSUMCO (SRA – CARSUMCO). This activity aimed to capture the distinctive practices, and available machines and implements used for sugarcane production to craft the baseline profile of the sugarcane industry in CARSUMCO mill district. Moreover, this introduced the deployment of the M3DAS Web Application to be used by the enumerators for a paperless data collection on the sugarcane mechanization resources within the mill district.
Moreover, survey on land suitability of sugarcane machines and implements were also conducted. The participants answered the questionnaires that captures their valuable input in acquiring sugarcane mechanization resources suited in their needs. Their collective insights can be used as a basis in the assessment of land appropriate for sugarcane.
The M3DAS project is being implemented by the Center for Agri-fisheries and Biosystems Mechanization (BIOMECH) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and is funded by DOST-PCAARRD in collaboration with the DA-SRA.