𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝑮𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒚 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒄

The M3DAS team engaged in various activities in Tarlac province from September 30 to October 2, 2025.
The team met with the Provincial Agriculturist of Tarlac, the Municipal Agriculturists of Bamban and Concepcion, as well as the Resident Manager of the Luisita Sugar Refinery in Hacienda Luisita to formally introduce the M3DAS project and the activities that will be conducted in the area.
Additionally, the team gathered baseline data through a key informant interview (KII) with progressive sugarcane planters in Tarlac. The interview was participated by Mr. Marlon G. Gamboa of the North Cluster Planters Association of Tarlac (NCPAT) and Mr. Jose Angelo Flores of Association of Sugar Planters of Central Luzon, Inc. (ASUCAL). These interviews were highly productive, as both planters openly discussed unique farming practices and farm management strategies. The shared knowledge from these discussions will be a valuable resource for the M3DAS project, helping to drive impactful improvements for the broader sugarcane industry across the country.
The M3DAS project is an initiative by the Center for Agri-fisheries and Biosystems Mechanization (BIOMECH) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), funded by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), in partnership with the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).