Cebu farmers receive cargo truck from DAR

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Tuesday said it recently turned over to a group of farmers from Barangay Talavera in Toledo City, Cebu a multi-cab delivery truck.

The Talavera United Farmers Association (TUFA) will use the vehicle to transport food supplies to the Bureau of Jail and Management Penology (BJMP) and other private buyers and consumers.

The provision of the truck is part of the national government’s Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) program being implemented by DAR.

“The program reflects the commitment of DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to the national goal of President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr. to improve farmers’ lives through the provision of various support services,” DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Grace B. Fua said in a news release.

An agreement was earlier signed among DAR, Bureau of Jail Management (BJMP) and Penology and TUFA specifying that the BJMP will directly buy its food requirements from TUFA based on the current market price.

The DAR reserves the right to monitor and evaluate the operation and management of the truck, while TUFA, as the grantee, will assume the obligation of yearly registration fees, insurance, taxes, permits and other charges, and maintenance of the truck.

“The delivery truck worth P300,000 will be used to deliver vegetables, rice, corn, fruits, root crops, poultry, and other farm produce for BJMP and for the cooperative’s other buyers,” Fua said.

Fua explained that both the truck and DAR’s partnership with the BJMP are part of the EPAHP program to provide marketing support to farmers’ produce.

She said 83 farmers would benefit from this project, which could help increase their household incomes through improved production and access to markets.

“It will also minimize post-harvest losses and enhance the quality of goods that will be sold to the markets,” she added.

TUFA President Orlando Plaza who received the delivery truck during simple rites thanked DAR for supporting the farmers.

“Because of the partnership of the DAR and EPAHP, we now have a steady market for our products and could now demand fair pricing for our agri-produce,” he said.

Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/09/22/cebu-farmers-receive-cargo-truck-from-dar/