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Monday, May 22, 2006
P43M tramlines mulled in Benguet
AGRARIAN Reform Regional Director Renato Navata said Sunday should the feasibility study be approved, Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) in Benguet may soon be installed with tramlines.
Navata said his office already forwarded to the central office of the agrarian reform department a project proposal amounting to P43 million for the construction of tramlines in the municipalities of Atok, Mankayan, and Kibungan.
He said tramline is a feasible project in the area considering the terrain of the province. "This will help lessen the transportation cost being incurred by the farmers who are isolated from the main road. Although we also have farm to market road projects, we thought that tramline is the best way to give alternative means of transportation for vegetables," he said.
"The construction of tramlines likewise helps in the conservation of the environment since it does not require cutting of trees or excavation of earth along its path," he added.
Meanwhile, Navata said the region should get the highest share in terms of funds for irrigation projects, citing that Cordillera is in-charge for the maintenance of the longest mountain ranges as the main water source for the irrigation of farmlands in Regions 1, 2, and 3. "We have a big responsibility in order that irrigation systems in the lowland can be maintained, by preserving the eco-system," he said.
He also said that insurgency problems cannot be resolved at one time due to the presence of these mountain ranges. "What we should do is to address the needs of the people to uplift their living conditions by introducing development projects in the marginalized areas of the region," he added.
Navata also reported that the agrarian reform is implementing the third phase of the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Projects (Arisp) under the Japan Bank International Cooperation. These projects comprise the construction of communal irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, and water systems that are equally distributed in the region with a ratio of three projects per province.
"With a total budget of P8 billion for Arisp, we plan to get about seven to 10 percent of the total budget so that these projects will be realized," Navata said.
The agrarian reform does not only deal on land distribution, it also coordinates with the agriculture, trade, science and technology departments and other government line agencies for livelihood programs that include farm product diversification, swine and goat raising, handicrafts and the like.
"We assist the science and technology and the trade departments in identifying ARCs where abundant raw materials for a particular product are present and give necessary advance technology to further improve their skills and the quality of their products," Navata added. (FM)
(May 22, 2006 issue)
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