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| DAR supports rice, corn, and coconut plantations in remote Leyte villages. 6 ARBOs are considered for ₱16 billion support package. |
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is supporting the development of rice and corn-producing areas and coconut plantations in remote villages in Leyte province. Six agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) from the area are being considered as potential recipients of a support package worth ₱16 billion.
The funds, part of the Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities (SuRe ARCs) program, will come from the agrarian reform fund (ARF) and will be used to support the food security program of the Marcos administration.
Those who qualify will receive a package of support services, including farm inputs, machinery, training, and infrastructure projects.
Melecia Ong, Chief of the Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) at the DAR Regional Office, said the SuRe ARCs program is expected to boost the agriculture sector, increasing income for farmers, particularly agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). She added that the project will also contribute to the government's End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) initiative, which aims to address insurgency in the country.
The ARBOs were selected based on the organization's operation management, program engagement, governance, farm mechanization, physical infrastructure, and support from local partners and other agencies.
Ong said the chosen ARBOs will receive a package of support services designed to capacitate them and improve farm mechanization.
The SuRe ARCs program is part of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III's nine primary goals, which include farm mechanization and capacitating ARBOs.
The initiative aims to improve the sustainability and resilience of agrarian reform communities and contribute to the government's broader goals of food security and economic growth.