THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental - North, through a series of installation rites earlier this week, has awarded about 47-hectare land to 58 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the province.

Municipal Agrarian Reform program officer Antonida Yulo, who led activities involving three landholdings, told ARBs that as farmer-beneficiaries they have put their hopes and dreams in becoming part of the program of the DAR through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).”

“Now that the wait is over, may the land awarded uplifts your spirit,” she told farmers, urging them to make the land productive and “may this empower you all to become better contributors to the progress and development of the community and country.”

The properties were formerly owned by Oscar Ascalon and Gardel Agricultural Development Corporation, Makiling Lopez Panganiban, and Armando Villaluna with an areas of 21.7150 hectares, 10.9451 hectares, and 15.2155 hectares, respectively.

The awarded lands are located in Barangays Jerusalem, Cabahug and Tinampa-an, all in Cadiz City.

DAR-Negros Occidental, in a statement, said a total of 58 farmer-beneficiaries will benefit from the lands distributed by the agency through land acquisition and distribution under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper).

The agency it said is mandated to redistribute government and private agricultural lands to landless farmers and farmworkers to secure the farmers’ land security, social equity, and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure their economic viability and productivity.

The program also covers all tenanted agricultural lands such as those in the retained areas, not yet acquired for distribution under Carp and those which may be validly covered under existing laws, it added.