THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Western Visayas is working on increasing the number of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the southern portion of Negros Occidental who can avail of various support services through the Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP).
The ARBDSP is a major final output of the agency designed to implement, facilitate and coordinate the delivery of support services to farmer-beneficiaries.
DAR-Western Visayas Assistant Regional Director Lucrecia Taberna, during the 2nd Quarter Review and Planning Session on Thursday, June 10, 2021, said the agency is mandated to organize ARBs into a cooperative.
Taberna said they should be registered under the Cooperative Development Authority or association registered under the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"As of now, we have at least 25,000 assisted ARBs in southern Negros Occidental and we must double the number if possible in order to give more ARBs through cooperative or association access to bundles of support services under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp)," she added.
To attain this, the official urged DAR in Negros Occidental - South to intensify its campaign and assist all ARBs in forming their own cooperative or to affiliate with the existing organizations.
Taberna also posted a challenge to increase the number of ARB recruitment, farmer-beneficiaries trained, and those with access to credit and microfinance.
The regional line agency, she said, is also pushing for more agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (Arbos) provided with technical and farm support as well as enterprise and marketing assistance this year.
"I am challenging all concerned personnel of DAR-Negros Occidental II especially the Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officers to expedite and find means in accomplishing all output indicators and maximize efforts to ensure the delivery of support services to our ARBs," Taberna noted.
For his part, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Engineer Arnulfo Figueroa said they have identified all the strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of targets.
After which, he said, DAR-Negros Occidental II had already come up with strategies and interventions that must be performed to ensure the compliance of all output indicators.
"We have identified the root cause of our weakness and how to combat it and now is the time to execute and focus on our priorities," Figueroa said, adding that "there are no more excuses, we have the mandate and we must be accountable to our ARBs."