DAR, Cebu LGU and 3 financial institutions to boost ARBs lives
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the local government unit (LGU) of Cebu province forged a partnership, Monday June 14, 2021, through the Enhanced Countryside Development (ECD) program to boost the economic lives of the farmers by increasing their source of income and creating more livelihood opportunities that would improve their agricultural productivity and ensure food sufficiency in the province.
The agreement enabled the LGU of Cebu with a P20-billion budget committed by three (3) financial institutions, namely: the Landbank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Philippine Veterans Bank, to sustain the LGU’s comprehensive programs designed to shift development focus from the heavily congested urban areas to the underutilized and underdeveloped countryside.
DAR Secretary Brother John Castriciones said the DAR has 31,590 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) occupying 35,544 hectares of agricultural land, they receive from the agency, surrounding the urban areas of Cebu province.
Brother John said his department wholeheartedly support the ECD program because aside from fully utilizing the ARB’s potential to earn more to boost their economic lives, it would also enable them to become productive citizens contributing to the development of rural areas to achieve food security.
“Under the ECD program, the ARBs would receive support services package and various agri-business assistance such as credit and loaning facilities and the commitment to link them to institutional buyers for greater opportunity in marketing their produce,” Brother John said.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for her part said this program would ramp up food production to attain food security and spur more wealth-creating activities in the countryside.
“To achieve our goal, it requires viable financing support and involvement and cooperation of farmers, and we believe that with our partnership with the DAR, we could realize this goal in the very near future,” Garcia said.
Aside from the ECD, the Capitol is also implementing Sugbuanong Busog, Luwas ug Himsog (SUGBUsog) program to enhance food production in the province and to encourage non- farmers to grow vegetables in their backyard.
Support Services Office Undersecretary Emily O. Padilla commended the LGU of Cebu for its strong support and dedication to contribute to ensure food security in the country.
“The DAR also initiated an urban vegetable farming, called “Buhay sa Gulay” program. We have encouraged urban dwellers to farm on idle lands in their areas, where we coordinate with our ARBs to teach them the technical know-how on the proper way of vegetable farming. We started the program in Manila, Quezon City and Caloocan City, and other urban areas nationwide followed suit,” Padilla said.