AgNor farmers receives P3.5-M farm equipment, inputs

December 7, 2020, 12:00 am

Thirty-five piglets with 7 bags of starter feeds and seven bags of grower feeds were turned-over to Taud-oy Farmers Livelihood Association. TFLA is one of the 13 ARBOs which benefitted the DAR’s Project under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP) of the DAR.

In response to the plight of the farmers from the effect of climate change, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)- Agusan del Norte provided farm machineries and livelihood support to thirteen (13) Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) under its Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP).

According to DAR Agusan Norte Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Andre B. Atega, the CRFPSP is one of the support programs of the DAR in addressing food shortage problem caused by climate change.

PARPO II Atega also explained that the DAR-CRFPSP provides the farmers with needed support services like farm machineries and livelihood packages in the form of farm inputs.

“Extreme weather condition brought by climate change then to Covid-19 pandemic, has worsen the poverty situation of our farmers who are serving in the frontline,” he said.

According to reports, DAR allocated P3.5 million for CRFPSP project comprising of P2,473,500 worth of farm machineries and P1,038,300 worth of farm inputs. DAR Agusan del Norte PARPO I Rodrigo B. Bitangcor underscored that the intervention is a grant for those farmers living in a vulnerable areas.

“The agency successfully delivered the farm equipment and farm inputs to the ARBOs despite the reported delays due to office lockdown due to corona virus pandemic,” Bitangcor said.

Ellen Torralba, officer-in-charge Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer of the Program Beneficiaries Development Division of DAR-Agusan del Norte, said despite the pandemic and weather condition, the department remains committed to help improve the farmers’ organizations.

Torralba said the majority of ARBOs are involved in rice and vegetable production. She emphasized the role of the ARBOs to take care of the project as these will enhance their efficiency and productivity.

Welito T. Mante, Chair of the Basag Irrigator’s Association (BasagIA), was grateful to the department on its endeavor to extend various farm equipment and farm inputs.

According to Mante, it is an answered prayer. “Pasalamat gyud mi sa DAR, sa ilang package of intervention, dako kini og tabang sa panginabuhian sa among grupo.” (Very much grateful of DAR’s package of intervention, it could be a great help to increase income to our organization), he said.

-by Gil Miranda, PIO Agusan del Norte

2021 Department of Agrarian Reform.