DAR partners with Philippine Carabao Center for a children’s feeding program

Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, September 16, 2020 – THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has signed a partnership agreement with the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) here in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija to implement a feeding program intended for the children in this province through the recently inaugurated “Milkybun” Production Center.

Milkybun is an enhanced nutribun where every bun is equivalent to the nutrition of one glass of milk.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Jocelyn Ramones said the Catalanacan Multipurpose Cooperative’s (CMPC) services are being tapped to run the processing center and provide the requirements for the “milkybun” production.

PCC Executive Director Arnel del Barrio said that aside from providing the children with nutritious food, the project aims to increase the yield of carabao’s milk and improve farmers’ income.

“I believe that the DAR would help us make this project successful. This partnership is the beginning of our “milkybun” entering the mainstream. It would not only penetrate the entire Central Luzon Region but the whole country, as well,” del Barrio said.

DAR Secretary John Castriciones said that this feeding program manifests farmers’ important role in food supply especially during this pandemic.

“A country cannot survive without the farmers and it is just appropriate that we give them our all-out support in helping them build the nation,” Castriciones said.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) was implemented under the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program (EPAHPP) spearheaded by Cabinet Secretary and Committee Chairman Karlo Alexei Nograles.

Support Services Office Undersecretary Emily Padila said EPAHPP is a government initiative addressing hunger and poverty through the synergy and convergence of essential services of the government agencies.

Munoz Mayor Nestor Alvarez expressed his gratitude for this agreement as he believes that this partnership would greatly help the farmers and the children in the countryside.

Catalanacan MPC Chairman Ferdinand Cueva, on his part, thanked the DAR and PCC for the trust they have given to the cooperative.

“I am grateful that the DAR is always there for the farmers. Our lives have improved ever since they provided us with various support services and I know that there are greater things to come that would help us secure our future,” Cueva said.

Before and after the MOA signing, Secretary Castriciones also delivered certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) to some agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.