500 AgSur Farmers to Benefit from P5.5-M Worth Of FMEs

Four Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBO) were hopeful about their future after the P5.5-million worth of Farm Machineries and Equipment (FME) which was formally turned-over in a ceremony held recently at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) provincial office in San Francisco, this province.

The provision of farm equipment is expected to serve more than 500 hundred farmers in municipalities of Loreto, Bunawan and Bayugan City.

“These farm implements will help farming easier for our beneficiaries that will eventually improve farm productivity and increase household income in a sustainable manner,” said PARPO II Leoncio Bautista, Jr.

Bautista said that the equipment includes three units of farm tractor which were given to Katipunan Agricultural Farmers Association in Bayugan City, Hagnaya Agro Fishery Association in Bunawan and Johnson Farmers Consumers Cooperative in Loreto as well as one unit of a combine harvester which was given to Saguma ARBs Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Bayugan City.

Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Fe Mosquera said that the farm machines were given as grant which will be operated by the organization as business assets where corresponding fees from the users will be collected and utilized for the operation and maintenance of the farm equipment.

“This scheme will be beneficial to both the farmer-user and the organization. The user can avail the machine at much lesser cost than usual while the organizations grow by engaging into agri-business enterprises,” she said.

Assistant regional director for operations Cenon Original, lauded the DAR Agusan Sur employees for the hard work and dedication.

“This is an evidence of a dedicated service of DAR employees to our clienteles for the past 31 years of CARP implementation,” he said.

The turnover ceremony started with a mass and blessing of FMEs, followed by the cutting of ribbons and turning over of certificates and keys to the recipient ARBOs.

Bostalino Pastor, chairperson of the JOFACCO said that he is grateful for DAR that the cooperative became one of the recipients of one 4WD farm tractor.

“Dako kaayo akong gibati nga kalipay atol sa 31st anniversary sa ahensya sa DAR tungod niining panahona naangkon namo ang among gihandum nga ekipo sa dugay na nga panahon (My big thanks to DAR in celebration of their 31st anniversary because this time, we received the equipment that we have been dreaming for such a long time),” he said.

Present during the turn-over were ARDO Cenon Original, PARPO II Leoncio C. Bautista Jr, PARPO I Allan N. Mundala, CARPO Fe H. Mosquera and the chairpersons of the four recipient ARBOs together with their respective MARPOs.

The distribution of these FMEs is under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project of DAR, which is implemented in Agrarian Reform Areas (ARCs) and non-ARCs having identified to be vulnerable to climate change to enhance and sustain agricultural productivity being the primary means of livelihood as adaptation towards resiliency amid the impacts of the changes in climate. (Rechel D. Besonia, DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)