No. of :

No. of Shares:

Currently viewed by: Marcus Rosit

  1. Home
  2. Features
  3. DAR support services lighten farmers’ burden in Negros Occidental

DAR support services lighten farmers’ burden in Negros Occidental

Write a comment

Delete

Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB) Rodrigo Henebraldo estimates that with the help of a tractor, he can complete the tilling of his land in merely three hours - a task that would otherwise take three weeks using a carabao.

The tractor's efficiency means his carabao can now spend more time grazing in the meadows, while the powerful engine of a new tractor takes over the plowing of his farmland.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, visited Bago City, Negros Occidental where he distributed land titles, tractors, a truck, and farm equipment to ARBs. 

EditDelete
Members of Tulo-Alto Small Farmers Consumers Cooperative in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City in Negros Occidental with their brand new tractor during the distribution led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Bago City, Negros Occidental, April 8. *(PIA photo)
Delete

The Tulo-Alto Small Farmers Consumers Cooperative in Barangay Pinapugasan, Escalante City, with 70 ARB members consisting of 40 families, with a total of 231 hectares, which Henebraldo leads, was among the recipients of a tractor.

The majority of the cooperative’s farmland is devoted to sugarcane while 20 hectares are planted with corn, and 16 hectares with rice – using the inter-cropping strategy to maximize harvest.

Henebraldo himself is tilling a two-and-a-half-hectare farm where he grows a mix of sugarcane and rice, thanked President Marcos, knowing the huge impact the tractor would have on his farming that would boost his capability to support his family.

"Majority of my income comes from sugarcane, and that's where the tractor will be most beneficial," he said.

Delete

Officials of the cooperative will charge members P12,000 per hectare using the P3.6 million brand-new tractor while non-members will be charged P15,000 per hectare.

“Granted that the tractor is rented for one straight month, we will earn an easy P400,000,” an elated Henebraldo shared as the cooperative also expects a sharp rise in income from their harvest.

EditDelete
Brand new tractor for the Tulo-Alto Small Farmers Consumers Cooperative. *(PIA photo)
Delete

Henebraldo assured the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) that the cooperative would maintain the tractor to enable them to farm more efficiently and achieve better yields.

Another beneficiary, 65-year-old Perla Miraflor, on behalf of the Victor U. Lopez Agrarian Cooperative, which she chairs, received the Foton Canter truck on behalf of the cooperative.

The farmer’s organization, with 55 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, is at Barangay DSB, Municipality of Pontevedra, more than 10 kilometers away from the town's center.

They collectively cultivate 152 hectares of farmland, mostly planted with sugarcane.

The primary means of transportation in their area is a tricycle which costs P50 per person. One can rent the motorcycle starting at P250, depending on the size and weight of the produce.

Miraflor explained that the truck would lead to cost savings for the cooperative as they would not need to hire vehicles to transport their products. They can even turn this into an income-generating venture by renting it out to interested clients, she added.

EditDelete
Perla Miraflor, 65 years old, receives the Foton Canter truck on behalf of the Victor U. Lopez Agrarian Cooperative based in the municipality of Pontevedra, Negros Occidental. *(PIA photo)
Delete

"We are extremely grateful for President Bong Bong Marcos' efforts. We will take the utmost care of this vehicle as our livelihood largely depends on it," Miraflor shared.

During his visit, President Marcos Jr. distributed P59 million worth of support services, including rice and grass cutters, threshers, power tillers, tractors, a truck, and fertilizers.

Henebraldo and Miraflor are just two of the many recipients of these farm equipment and resources.

The president also distributed 4,724 Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to 2,797 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, in the same program.

President Marcos said he wants to complete the transfer of land titles to all qualified ARBs in the country so that farmers can immediately profit from its richness. (AAL/Lljr PIA6 Negros Occidental)

About the Author

Lorenzo Lambatin, Jr.

Writer

Region 6

Related News

Feedback / Comment

Get in touch