THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has installed 62 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in a 70-hectare land in Cadiz City.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Myrna Omaliao, who led the land distribution and installation rites recently, expressed hopes that 2021 will be a good year for the farmer-beneficiaries.

Omaliao urged ARBs to be responsible land owners by securing that the land is free from abuse.

"Just abide by the law and may this land pave way for you to have a better life," she told farmer-beneficiaries.

The covered landholding included 70.1012 hectares formerly owned by Asuncion Agricultural Corporation situated in Barangay Burgos in the city.

The activity was conducted through the process of land acquisition and distribution under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms.

Under the program, public and private agricultural landholdings are acquired by the government to be distributed to tenants, farmers, farmworkers and other tillers who are qualified to become ARBs.

This is in the form of certificate of land ownership award covering one contiguous tract or several parcels of land cumulated up to a maximum of three hectares per ARB.

This is anchored on the agency's aim to provide lands to landless farmers and farmworkers, guarantee the farmers' land security, deliver social equity, and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure economic viability and productivity.

DAR-Negros Occidental I said that with the province still under modified general community quarantine, the activity has complied with the minimum health protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.

The DAR is the lead government agency that holds and implements comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform, it added.