The Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC) attended the Asian and Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery’s (ANTAM) Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting for Combine Harvesters last May 19-24, 2024 in Khon Kaen & Bangkok, Thailand. The Center was represented by Engr. Fatima Joy R. Aying, Engineer III, who is a member of the said TWG. 

Along with Engr. Aying, the Philippines’ delegation was also joined by Engr. Mary Ann Evasco from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE). The meeting was part of ANTAM’s ongoing initiatives to harmonize testing codes in the region, that would ensure the quality of agricultural machinery operated among member countries.

The meeting was co-organized by the Khon Kaen Agricultural Engineering Research Center (KK-AERC) of the Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI) under the Department of Agriculture of Thailand (DOA) and Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (UN CSAM), who served as secretariat of the meeting. It was also supported by the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering and the German Agricultural Association (DLG). 

 The participating members have shared their country’s practices and experiences in conducting tests and managing testing facilities on the said machinery. Meanwhile, to provide actual data that would help in revising and updating the testing code, the Thai Industrial Standard for Rice Combine Harvester (TIS 1428-2560) was presented to the TWG, and some of its test items were demonstrated at the KK-AERC.

Rice Combine Harvesters are crucial machinery in the country’s plight to achieve a mechanized agricultural sector, to achieve food security, considering that rice is a food staple for Filipinos. Hence, ensuring the quality of this machinery before it reaches the farmers is deemed necessary and collaborations like ANTAM play an important role. 

AMTEC is also a member of ANTAM-TWG for other agricultural machinery. Apart from that, being the premier and reference testing center for agri-fishery machinery, the Center is constantly involved in the development of various Philippine National Standards (PNS). 

Further details are published on the ANTAM website: https://bit.ly/3xzkNo5