THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has awarded rice farm machineries worth P3.5 million to five agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (Arbos) in the province.
The turnover ceremony held at DAR-Negros Occidental I Provincial Office in Bacolod City on Monday, October 26, is under the Major Crop-based Project under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project of the agency.
The recipient-Arbos are Sta. Rosa Farmers Association, A&G Esteban Farmers Association, Ricebis Negros Agrarian Reform Cooperative, all in Murcia town; Barangay Quezon Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association in San Carlos City; and Sicaba Farmers Association in Cadiz City.
The DAR, through its Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD), granted each of the ARBOs one unit of rice transplanter, one unit of floating tiller, one unit of rice thresher, and two units of collapsible dryer.
Rizalina Yuguing, officer-in-charge chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer of DAR-PBDD, said the provision of the farm machineries is anchored to one of the priority goals of the administration.
"This is aimed at promoting rural and value chain development towards increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity," she added.
The 20 units of farm machineries will benefit a total of 281 farmers in the northern part of the province.
The CRFPS project is geared towards building resiliency for agrarian reform communities with emphasis on enhancing and sustaining the agricultural productivity of the organizations as adaptation measures towards farming mechanization.
This project will also support the organizations to increase their farm production, yield better income and to reform their lives.
The Program Beneficiaries Development is a support service delivery component of the the agency that aims to capacitate ARBs and provide them access to support services for the productivity of their lands and improvement of their lives.