AGRI AID. Members of the Maribulan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative receive one of four shallow tube wells provided by the Department of Agrarian Reform to irrigate their banana plantation in Alabel, Sarangani on Thursday (Sept. 12, 2024). The support package (inset) also includes a tractor and water pumps. (Photo courtesy of DAR Sarangani)
KORONADAL CITY – A group of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Sarangani province is set to increase its production of export-quality bananas, thanks to a PHP1.5 million aid package from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The assistance, provided through DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP), includes a farm tractor with a trailer and four shallow tube wells, aimed at improving irrigation and post-harvest handling for the Maribulan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (Marbeco).
Ramonito Marciano, Sarangani provincial agrarian reform program officer, said the intervention will boost climate-resilient banana farming, ensuring steady water supply and improving production, particularly during the dry season.
"The shallow tube wells will be vital for irrigating the cooperative’s 50-hectare banana plantation, benefiting 51 member families," Marciano said in a statement Friday.
On Thursday, Marbeco received the equipment under the CRFPSP’s Major Crop-Based Farm component. The cooperative plans to use the support to further increase their production capacity and improve product quality.
Maribulan village chief Julian Camia expressed gratitude for DAR’s continued assistance, from capacity building to the provision of critical farming tools.
He pledged that the cooperative would maximize the resources to improve agricultural output. (PNA)
