DoST, CapSU launch agri machinery labs at Burias Campus to boost local production

The Department of Science and Technology and Capiz State University inaugurated two facilities on Tuesday to develop homegrown agricultural machinery for local farmers and fisherfolk. The i-Lab ProMaTech and MATEC, located at the CapSU-Burias Campus, will handle design and fabrication of post-produc

The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and Capiz State University (CapSU) inaugurated two facilities on Tuesday that will enable the province to develop homegrown agricultural machinery, helping local farmers and fisherfolk process their products more efficiently.

Both located at the CapSU-Burias Campus, the i-Lab ProMaTech (Innovations Laboratory for Process Machinery and Related Technology Development) will serve as an ideation and simulation hub for proposed machinery. If deemed feasible, these will be fabricated at the MATEC (Machinery and Agricultural Technology Engineering Center).

“They really work complementarily. Most of the time, we start with the design through i-Lab, then we eventually fabricate it in MATEC,” Mona Lyn L. Oloroso, project leader of i-Lab ProMaTech, told BusinessWorld during the launch of the two facilities.

DoST said i-Lab ProMaTech addresses the lack of locally developed post-production machinery for processing agricultural and fishery products in the province. Through the two facilities, Ms. Oloroso said, machines suited to the post-production requirements of local fisherfolk and farmers can now be developed locally instead of being imported.

This comes as Capiz is the leading aquaculture supplier in Western Visayas, with its produce reaching 111,260 metric tons in 2024 alone, translating to a 43.2 per cent market share in the region, DoST said.

The i-Lab ProMaTech was established with P5 million in funding under the Institution Development Program (IDP) of the DoST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCIEERD).

At least eight prototype machines have already been developed by CapSU through the labs to help farmers and fisherfolk process their products. These include machines for fish drying, clam collection, coconut flower pollination, bamboo fibre extraction, and coconut flower drying.

Local researchers and students at CapSU are also poised to benefit from i-Lab ProMaTech and MATEC, as the facilities can augment their research studies while helping address the most pressing challenges faced by local stakeholders, Ms. Oloroso said.