5 Zamboanga Sibugay farmers’ groups get P1.4M farm machinery from DAR

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines – Five agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) in Zamboanga Sibugay received farm machinery and equipment worth P1.4 million from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to boost productivity and help them adapt to climate change.

The turnover, held Friday, August 8, in Ipil town, was part of DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP), which seeks to improve farmers’ incomes while promoting sustainable, climate-smart agriculture.

The machinery included rice threshers, hand tractors, mud boat tractors, power tillers, sprayers, and water pumps.

Recipients of the equipment were: Y-Cluster IA Inc. (Titay), Sto. Niño Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Alicia),

Bucacao-Lutiman Concepcion Irrigators Association, Inc. (Alicia), Labrador-Timualag Katurog Irrigators Association, Inc. (Buug), and Zampen Federation of ARBs and Rubber Farmers Association (Tungawan).

The recipients signed a memorandum of agreement and trust agreement during the ceremony to ensure proper use and maintenance of the farm machinery.

Romulus Perez, DAR’s OIC-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Officer for PBDD, challenged the groups to “step outside our comfort zones and look for more projects” to strengthen their cooperatives.

“We started with small support and proved ourselves worthy of trust. Now we are being entrusted with bigger resources. Let’s use these properly and make the most of them so they can truly benefit our members,” Perez said.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Rolando Libetario Jr. said the new farm equipment will help the ARBOs expand their asset base and attract more members.

Bucacao-Lutiman Concepcion IA president Noel Puig Jr. welcomed the support, saying the machinery will be a big help for rice farmers in increasing efficiency and output.

DAR said the initiative is part of its push to help farmers weather the challenges of climate change while improving their market competitiveness.