THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North continues to monitor and validate agricultural-financed projects to some of its assisted agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (Arbos) in the province.
In Cadiz City, the agency conducted an on-site validation for Dalayapan Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Darco) recently.
The agency, under its Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), earlier approved P15 million worth of credit line for the cooperative.
Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) officer-in-charge Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Rizalina Yuguing, in a statement, said the activity is one of the strategies of the DAR to come up with effective approaches of accomplishing its mission.
She said the agency works on implementing comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform to improve the quality of lives of the farmer-beneficiaries.
The on-site validation included training for farmer-members of Darco, which is collectively managing a 251-hectare sugarcane plantation located at Barangay Caduha-an in the northern Negros Occidental locality.
PBDD project lead implementer and point-person Vera Peral said that, through the training, they are instilling to the members the responsibility to pay their financial dues on time to maintain their cooperative's good and credible credit standing.
“It will help a total of 96 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and their respective families particularly in terms of their farming financial expenses,” she added.
DAR-Negros Occidental said the cooperative’s crop yield production in the previous milling calendar was evaluated by the team members of the PBDD. Its finances were also documented.
Farming activities for the crop year this year were also projected, taking into consideration the fluctuating global market price of all sugarcane-related products amid these pandemic times.
Other activities included discussion of the Arbo’s check releases and payment due dates, and ensuring settlements before bank deadlines.
The APCP loan, meanwhile, is a project implemented by the DAR in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
It aims to provide credit to the ARBs at affordable cost, including development assistance and marketing support.
The DAR, through the PBDD, provides development and support services interventions through training programs and construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities.
“Access for ARB households to basic social services is also included in its mandate to ensure holistic support for the farmer-beneficiaries,” the agency said.