Iloilo Farmers Receive Millions Worth of Projects from DAR

Continuous efforts to improve farmers’ agricultural production was further enhanced as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) led by Secretary John R. Castriciones and Undersecretary for Support Services Office, Atty. Emily O. Padilla turned over almost 17M  worth of Common Service Facilities (CSFs) in a simple ceremony held in Barangay Rumbang, Pototan, Iloilo on Friday, March 29, 2019.  

According to Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Lucrecia S.Taberna, a total of 1,585 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization members were the beneficiaries of the common service facilities consisting of 3 Dumptruck,  2 units of 35HP Tractor and 2 units of combine Rice Harvester. 

These ARBOs are located in the Municipalities of Oton (Southern Iloilo Area Multi-Purpose Coperative), Janiuay (KAMTA PMPC - Kapisanan ng mga Mambubukid ng Tambal Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative) , Sara (LADAP - Lanciola, Anoring, Devera, Aldeguer, Padios Agrarian Reform Cooperative), San Rafael (SFARCO - San Florentino Agrarian Reform Cooperative) and Passi City (KASAPPI - Katilingban sang Mangunguma Padulong sa Pag uswag sang Iloilo Agrarian Reform Cooperative). 

Also held in the same ceremony, was a signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DAR and recipient ARBOs on the Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Project (CLAAP). 

This program is in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that aims to help the farmers improve their quality of life by helping them develop their agricultural enterprises thru livelihood and micro enterprise projects like vegetable and fruit farming, food processing, livestock raising, among others.

Almost 5.2M project assistance under CLAAP will be implemented particularly on corn and rice production, swine production and fattening.

Expected to benefit from the said project are the more than 208 CLAAP beneficiaries of NAMIAS - Nagpana Minorities Association in Barotac Viejo and SFARCO - San Florentino Agrarian Reform Cooperative in San Rafael, Iloilo.

Secretary Castriciones and USec Padilla underscored the importance of farming and the family as the focal point. 

According to USec Padilla, DAR will endeavor to encourage our farmers to get back into farming and to motivate even their children to farm, to cultivate  and to make the land productive so that we will have food to eat.  She said that DAR will further facilitate various programs and services for our farmers.  

Secretary Castriciones on the other hand, emphasized the value of being industrious, hardworking, and to be helpful with one another and not to forget to be thankful to God, to the government and to DAR for such blessings.  He further said that DAR will continue to give more lands to the landless and to provide the necessary support services to the ARBs. 

He also mentioned about the latest program of DAR, the Pabahay housing projects for the farmers which is very affordable too.