Farm Business School starts in Mt. Province

BARLIG, Mountain Province -  One of the priorities of the Department of Agrarian Reform(DAR) is to boost the entreprenuerial skills of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and to effectively manage their farm produce to optimize their profitability.

Another Farm Business School(FBS) was launched at Lingoy, Barlig, Mountain Province on February 21, 2020 making it the 7th batch of  FBS conducted in the different Agarian Reform Coomunities(ARCs) of the province.

Mr. Joseph Manonggit, the Principal of the Eatern Bontoc National and Vocational High School (EBNAVHS) who graced the affair, highly appreciated the program being brought by the DAR to the area.  “It is a high time that the farmers of Lingoy, Barlig will learn modern techniques on how to process their farm products learn marketing strategies”, the principal said.  He also added saying that it is timely that FBS shall be attended by the senior high school students under the Organic Agriculture.  

“We have to mold our young farmers and make them love farming since there is money in farming and they will learn from FBS”, Mr. Manonggit said.

Milagros Vizcara, one of the teachers of EBNAVHS who handles Agriculture Course stated that most of the participants of the FBS are lemon and organges growers.  She said that “Barlig is the Lemon City of the Province” as volume of lemon and oranges is produced in the area. As of this time however, excess harvested products go to waste since there is no proper skills and machineries of the growers to process the excess.   “Thanks for the DAR for bringing the FBS for the farmers”, Ms. Vizcara said.

The Mayor’s Office representative of Barlig  extended the support  for the success of the program.  Miss Fely Pinos-an, the staff of the Office of the Municipal Agriculture also requested the cooperation of the farmers to grab the chance and learn from the free FBS.  “This program is for your well being, make the most of your agriculture products reach the market and gain from them”, Ms. Pinos-an stated.

The FBS  has 52 ARB enrollees.  The DAR representative during the launching also insinuated that the ARBs in the area must organize themselves into a farmers cooperative inorder to  gain collective bargaining power in marketing and giving a command of the price of their produce.