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Regional Director Leomides Villareal of the Department of Agrarian Reform – Western Visayas says the department seeks to enhance agricultural productivity and improve rural connectivity in the region.

ILOILO City – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Region 6 is set to implement P250 million worth of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and farm machineries and equipment (FMEs) this year.

Regional Director Leomides Villareal announced that the DAR Central Office allocated P200 million for FMR projects benefiting Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) in selected barangays.

The FMR projects and their corresponding budgets are as follows:

* Barangay Magdungao, Passi City (3 km) – P40 million

* Barangay Bacuranan, Passi City (1 km) – P10 million

* Barangay Imbang Grande, Passi City (1.5 km) – P15 million

* Barangay Toyungan, Calinog, Iloilo (2 km) – P25 million

* Barangay Aliputos, Numancia, Aklan (6.81 km) – P12 million

* Barangay Pudiot, Tangalan, Aklan (1 km) – P10 million

* Barangay Sugnod, Malinao, Aklan (1 km) – P10 million

* Barangay Cabucangan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental (1.1 km) – P25 million

* Crossing Gusnit to Sitio Montelo, Negros Occidental (4 km) – P43 million

In addition to the FMRs, DAR-6 received P50 million for FMEs. These resources are intended to aid ARBs and farmers’ organizations in acquiring essential farming tools such as tractors, harvesters, and solar-powered equipment.

To qualify for FMEs, ARBs or farmers must form associations or cooperatives with at least 15 members. The groups must also be registered with the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“For every cooperative or organization, they can request farm equipment like tractors, harvesters, and solar-powered machinery. These tools will support their farming activities as cooperatives,” Villareal explained.

Villareal clarified that while FMR projects target ARCs, the benefits extend to the entire community.

“Not all residents of a barangay are ARBs. That’s why we refer to them as ARCs because the entire community benefits from the FMRs,” he said.

He emphasized that even non-ARBs, particularly farmers who are not formal beneficiaries of agrarian reform programs, will indirectly benefit from the improved infrastructure./PN

Source: https://www.panaynews.net/p250-million-farm-to-market-roads-machineries-to-boost-wv-agriculture/