THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-South has distributed almost 68 hectares of land covered under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) to 119 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Isabela town on August 9.

Of the total distributed lands, 42.93 hectares are awarded to 86 farmers of the landholding formerly owned by Rodriguez-Abello Agro Commercial Corporation located in Barangay Camangcamang.

About 11 hectares would be divided by14 farmers of the landholding previously owned by Eduardo Javellana at Barangay Bungahin.

The remaining 13.47 hectares, meanwhile, were distributed to 19 ARBs of the landholding formerly owned by PNB-Binalbagan in Barangay Cansalongon.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Lucrecia Taberna, who led the distribution of the certificates of landownership award (Cloas) held at the municipal gymnasium, said the farmers should organize themselves into cooperative to avail various interventions from the government.

"If you want to escape from the chain of poverty, the change must come within yourselves. The land is already yours so maximize the blessing," Taberna said, as she urged beneficiaries to cultivate the land to improve their lives.

Taberna also reminded the farmers not to engage in illegal activities especially the sale and lease of lands since it would be a ground for the disqualification under the Carp.

For his part, Mayor Joselito Malabor encouraged the farmers to become entrepreneurs by cultivating and developing the land distributed to them by the DAR.

Malabor also expressed his support to the anti-ariendo campaign of the agency. (EPN)