Northern Samar farmers get farm machinery and equipment from DAR
Catarman, Northern Samar – The Cervantes Integrated Organic Farmer Association (CIOFA) in Northern Samar received from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) farm machinery and equipment to sustain and provide productivity in their farmlands.
Rosemarie R. Balanquit, DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer, said the project is implemented through the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) program, a government initiative that aims to mitigate hunger, ensure food security, and establish sustainable agriculture in the country.
“The agency provides different support services to help the farmers uplift their lives. The agrarian reform beneficiary organization (ARBO) members only need to be active participants in these projects so that assistance from the government will not be put to waste,” Balaguit said.
Emerita Anabe, chief agrarian reform program officer, oriented the CIOFA members on their roles and responsibilities in maintaining the tools and equipment, as well as the role of the agency in coordinating with the different suppliers and government offices to ensure that all the products would be sold and promoted.
Jocelyn Ballicud, municipal agrarian reform officer, encouraged the members to be united particularly in making sound decisions to improve their organization.
“Make your income as an asset to strengthen your organization,” she said.
Included among the farm machinery and tools provided to help the farmers establish sustainable organic vegetable production are the following: one (1 ) unit chariot 175 with roof and windshield, two (2) units grass cutter with complete accessories, three (3) units 16-liter capacity manual sprayer, ten (10) units mattocks, ten (10) units grab hoe, ten (10) units spade, ten (10) units rake, ten (10) units hand trowel, 20 units garden bolo, 15 pairs of rubber boots, five (5) units plastic mulch, and seeds.
Nestor C. Esplago, CIOFA President expressed his gratitude to the agency for the various assistance and encouraged the members to continue their active participation to maintain the organization.
CIOFA is already a recipient of various programs of the department to improve their agri-business enterprise, which includes one (1) unit tractor for organic vegetable production under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Project (CRFP) and egg layers provided under Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Project (CLAAP) for their poultry projects.
Currently, CIOFA has fifty (50) active members, with thirty (30) ARBs and twenty (20) non-ARBs.