(Photo courtesy of DAR-Bicol)
LEGAZPI CITY ---- Farmers in Albay are now advancing toward modern rice farming through the grant of PHP12.6-million worth of farm equipment by the regional office for Bicol here of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
DAR Regional Director Arnel Dizon, on Thursday said the “equipment grant” of farm factors were handed over to six organizations of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in a ceremony at Regional Government Center in Barangay Rawis here.
Turned over were six four-wheeled, 90-horsepower farm tractors with complete land cultivation implements such as a mounted disc plow, a trailing harrow and a three-tonner trailer.
"The DAR is not only giving common service facilities like mechanized farming equipment but also introducing new farm technologies to ARBs to develop their farm cooperatives and ultimately increase their farm yield," Dizon said.
He noted that the equipment distribution is under the agency’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP), a DAR program that implements the provision of farm machines aimed at improving farm productivity and the earning capabilities of ARBs in a sustainable manner through their organizations.
"The farm machines will be operated by the farmers’ organizations as business assets where user fees will be collected and utilized for the operation and maintenance of said equipment," Dizon added.
Through CRFPSP, the DAR is seeing to it that ARBs are provided with assistance to sustain their agricultural productivity, being the primary means of livelihood in agrarian communities as an adaptation towards resiliency over the effects of climate change.
The project is being implemented in agrarian reform communities and other areas identified as vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The recipients of the equipment, Dizon said, are the Southern Legazpi Upland Barangays (SLUB) LinksFarm Farmers Association, Inc. based in Legazpi City; Sa Agrarian Reform Iriba Gabos Sa Kauswagan (SARIGAN) in Daraga; Marasawag Composite Farmers Association (MCFA) and Quibongbongan Community Development Cooperative (QUIFA) in Guinobatan; and Gamot Luya Dalogo Farmers Association (GLDFA) and Kinuartelan Development Farmers’ Association (KDFA) in Polangui town.
The KDFA and GLDFA will use the tractors for their sugarcane block farm production and marketing project. (PNA)
